In an instant, her life flashed before her eyes.
FIVE
Madelyn struggled against the man in black—her captor. She thrashed, trying to get out of his grip. She tried to scream, but a gloved hand went over her mouth.
“I warned you,” the man grumbled.
Just hearing his gravelly voice ratcheted her fear to the next level. She thrashed even harder. She used her elbows to catch the man’s ribs. She kicked at his shins.
It was no use. He was stronger than she was and easily overpowered her. All of Madelyn’s efforts seemed futile.
She wasn’t ready to give up, though. She craned her neck, straining to catch a glance at her captor. His face was covered with a black mask, making him unrecognizable.
Had this been Zach all along? Had he secretly followed Madelyn into town and pretended someone else shot at him in the woods yesterday? Had he disguised his voice so she wouldn’t recognize him? He was the only person in town who’d known she was at her duplex alone last night. He’d had enough time to change before coming back and trying to run her out of town as she stood there on the stoop. He could have even been down by the pier with binoculars. The dispatcher had answered when she called, so Zach would have enough time to change again. Right now he could be concealing his face and trying to scare her out of town.
The man raised her off her feet and edged her toward the shed.
No!
She glanced down, trying to get any kind of clue as to who he might be. All she could see were his shoes. Black, glossy, sandy. She tried to memorize what she could.
In one motion, he tossed her into the shed. Her backside ached on impact, and the sudden motion caused a shovel to fall, landing hard on her hand.
“Go home,” the man growled as he leered into the darkness. She could only see the whites of his eyes, and that was enough to turn her stomach with fear.
Then he was gone. Blackness surrounded her. Something scraped outside the door.
The lock, she realized. The man had locked her in here.
Coming to her senses, she scrambled to her feet. Already, imaginary spiders were crawling across her skin. Her body let out an involuntary tremble as fear rose in her.
Alone...the word echoed in her head. The thought caused adrenaline to surge in her.
She pounded at the door. “Let me out of here!”
She stopped after several minutes and listened.
Between the music playing on the beach and everyone milling around eating oysters and other seafood, what were the chances that someone would hear her? Or even come looking for her? Eva might just assume she’d gone back to her apartment. It was a logical assumption since it was getting late.
She’d call for help, except she must have dropped her purse when the man grabbed her. Her phone had been tucked inside.
She banged on the door again, trying hard to get someone’s attention. “Please, help me!”
She waited, but there was nothing.
She pressed her forehead against the door a moment, trying to collect herself before she fell completely apart. She hated the dark. She hated confined spaces. She hated being alone.
Don’t think like that. Get focused. Come up with solutions.
Had Zach Davis locked her in here? Had he lured her to the shed and tried to scare her? Maybe he knew her real reason for being in town and needed to stop her. He was the most logical choice because he had the most to lose.
But how would he have found out Madelyn’s true intentions? Had he felt intimidated because he knew she was from Baltimore?
That realization ignited something in her. If Zach thought he would bully her into leaving, he was wrong. She was going to fight until the end.
She hit the door again, harder this time. “Please, help me!”
With no one responding still, she crossed her arms protectively over her chest. She glanced around, but it was too dark to see anything inside the small space. It smelled like gasoline and oil and lawn equipment. And though it was balmy outside, the inside of this shed was stuffy and humid after collecting heat all day.
How long would she be in here? What if no one found her? This space wasn’t large enough for the grill she’d seen outside. For all she knew, no one ever came out here except for the maintenance man on occasion.
That thought made her throat tighten.
No, she couldn’t think worst-case scenarios. She had to stay positive. Worrying would only pull her under.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
She hadn’t thought of that verse from Matthew in a long time. Not since she’d been to church with her parents when she was a teenager. That had been ten years ago, yet at once the memories seemed so strong.
The ache in her chest deepened.
Would her parents be proud of her now? She couldn’t imagine them approving of her going undercover for a story. Though she considered her alias a cover and this whole scenario an effort for the greater good, her parents would consider it a lie.
Paula always said her parents sounded too stuffy and saw things too much in black-and-white. Madelyn couldn’t quite bring herself to believe that, though.
As the music continued outside the shed, Madelyn sank to the wooden floor.
Maybe Zach Davis was desperate to maintain his good reputation in the community. The only way to keep up this ruse was to get rid of Madelyn. She had no idea how he would have found what she was really up to. But he was probably resourceful.
Okay, Madelyn. Think.
She was in a shed. Certainly there were tools in here, some type of resource she could use to escape.
Blindly, she began feeling the space around her. Finally, she felt what she thought was a hammer. Could she bang her way out of here?
She didn’t have many options, so she decided to give it a shot. She pounded the tool against the wood, trying to make as much noise as possible.
“Please help me!”
Just then she heard a rustling on the other side. Had the man come back? Was he determined to keep her quiet once and for all?
She raised the hammer, determined not to be a victim.
The door opened.
The man standing on the other side caused her blood to go cold.
* * *
Zach blinked with surprise when he saw Madelyn Sawyer inside the shed with a hammer raised above her head. He thought he’d heard a noise coming from the building as he walked back to his truck. But he’d never expected this.
Madelyn looked frightened and rightfully so. Why was she in the shed with an unclasped padlock holding the door shut?
Before he could ask, she scrambled out, moving so frantically that she tumbled into his arms. As quickly as his hands went to her waist, she pulled back, obviously flustered. She raised the hammer again.
Her hands were shaking and her knuckles bleeding. Her normally well-placed hair looked disheveled. But that was nothing compared to the panic in her gaze.
The brief moment of relief in her eyes quickly turned to anger. Anger over what?
His concern morphed into curiosity.
“You can put the hammer down,” he urged, realizing how ugly this could turn.
The outrage remained in her gaze. “How do I know I can trust you?”
“I’m not going to hurt you, Madelyn. Please, put the hammer down. Assaulting the police chief isn’t the way you want to start your stay here.”
At that moment, she looked down at his feet. He followed her gaze and glanced at his tan boat shoes. Something about his footwear must have reassured her because she dropped the hammer on the ground and squeezed the skin between her eyes.
“What are you doing in the shed?” He felt like he should reach out to her
, to reassure her, to offer some kind of comfort in the midst of her frightened state. But he also sensed that she would reject any touch he offered. For that reason, Zach stayed back, trying to give her space and time to compose herself as the sounds of the party continued to murmur in the background.
“I just thought I would check it out for my article.” She straightened her clothes—now stained—and raised her chin, some of her pride returning. She’d pushed aside her broken state, and determination now stained her gaze.
She started past him, but Zach grabbed her arm. Had a crime happened here? He couldn’t just pretend like he hadn’t seen any of this. He had a duty to the law. “No, really. I need to know what’s going on.”
She turned toward him, heat in her gaze.
It wasn’t the normal reaction he received after he’d helped someone. But nothing about Madelyn seemed normal. Not her uneasiness, her beauty, her interactions with him.
“A man locked me in there,” she said, her voice low and hard. “I don’t suppose you know anything about it?”
Surprise flashed through him. Was she accusing him? “Why would I know anything about it?”
She grabbed her purse, which was lying outside the shed like she’d dropped it, and reached inside. A moment later, she shoved her phone in his face. “Does this text message look familiar?”
His eyes widened as he read the words there. “That’s not my number, and I never sent that text to you.”
“Sure it’s not.”
As she started to storm away again, he gently touched her arm. Compassion echoed through him as he realized she was frightened and shaken. The implications of what had happened washed over him. “No, really. It’s not my number, Madelyn. Look at my phone if you want.”
She stared at him a moment, as if trying to figure out if he was telling the truth. “How do I know you don’t have two phones?”
He shrugged. “I suppose you don’t.”
“Tell me why someone would send me a text and put your name in it?”
“That’s a good question. For some reason, someone wants to ensure that you don’t trust me.”
She stepped closer, challenge in her gaze. “Is that because you’re trying to hide something?”
His cheeks warmed with irritation. She was overstepping her boundaries—big time. “You need to tread carefully, Ms. Sawyer.”
“Is that a threat?” Her hands went to her hips.
That text message had done its job, it appeared, because the woman obviously didn’t have any faith in him.
“By no means is it a threat. I just think you’re not doing yourself any favors storming into town and making accusations.”
Flames lit in her eyes just as fireworks began exploding over the water. “What am I supposed to think?”
He crossed his arms, growing agitated. “I suppose you should consider that someone must really not want you here.”
“Exactly!”
“But why?” Why would someone feel this threatened by her? That’s what didn’t make sense. He’d asked himself that question many times since her arrival in town. There were obviously things about Madelyn Sawyer that he didn’t know yet. He had to keep prodding until he found some answers. “What aren’t you telling me?”
“Isn’t it your job to figure out why this is happening?”
They stared at each other another moment. Tension crackled between them. He didn’t usually have such explosive encounters with pretty newcomers in town. In fact, most people thought he was levelheaded. But there was something about Madelyn that brought out a different side of him.
“Oh, there you are!”
Zach’s shoulders tightened even more. He knew who the voice belonged to. Eva. She had the worst timing possible. Or maybe it was the best. Who knew where the conversation would have gone otherwise.
“Hi, Eva,” Madelyn muttered.
“Good evening,” Zach said, following suit.
Eva looked between the two of them a moment, as if sensing she’d just interrupted something.
“Well...” she said slowly with a clap of her hands. “I’m glad I caught you together. I have good news. The two of you are going to do a ride along together tomorrow.”
Zach glanced over his shoulder toward Madelyn, half expecting her to be scowling. Instead, she nodded stiffly, confirming that she was okay with this.
“I have a busy day,” Zach said, not missing a beat.
Eva laughed and flopped her hand in the air, seeming not to hear him. “Oh, you. I think this will be a great angle for the story. Mayor Alan said you wouldn’t mind, Chief. You said you were willing to do what you needed to help promote tourism in the town.”
She had him there. Zach had said that, but he’d had no idea when he made that promise that Madelyn Sawyer would sweep into town with all of her judgment and accusations.
He glanced at the woman again. Maybe this would be a good chance for him to dig into her background. She was definitely hiding something. He was more certain now than ever. “You’re right. I did promise the mayor that. I’ll pick you up at eight?”
Something flashed in Madelyn’s eyes. Eagerness? Anticipation? Finally, she nodded. “That sounds good, Chief.”
But as unsettled as he felt, he couldn’t forget what had happened to her tonight. Someone had locked her in a shed away from the crowds. Why would someone do that? Who could be so desperate to keep this woman out of Waterman’s Reach?
He didn’t know. But he needed to find out.
SIX
Madelyn didn’t want to do this. She had no desire to spend more time with Zach Davis. But she was sent here to do a job, and that meant she couldn’t shy away from this opportunity. That’s why she’d suggested a ride along with the chief.
It would be the perfect chance to dig a little deeper into Zach’s past. She should be thankful that the opportunity had presented itself while she was talking to the mayor at the oyster roast last night.
She shivered as she waited on the stoop outside her temporary home for Zach to arrive. She’d hardly gotten any sleep last night. Every time she thought about everything that had happened since she’d arrived, her stomach sank. Someone desperately wanted to scare her and get her out of town.
But there was so much that didn’t make sense about that. All of her conclusions came back to one man—Zach Davis. He had the most to lose, so he was the most likely culprit. But he hadn’t been wearing shiny black shoes last night. If she could find the person who had been, maybe she could find some answers concerning the various mysteries that had arisen since she’d arrived here.
Finally, the chief’s cruiser pulled up. Before Zach could even get out, she opened the passenger side door and climbed inside without fanfare.
“Good morning,” Zach said. He looked like he felt as uncomfortable as she did. His neck muscles flexed beneath his collared shirt. His shoulders were set and uptight.
He was doing this out of obligation to the mayor, she realized.
Madelyn clicked her seat belt in place. “I know you’re busy, so just pretend I’m not here. I’m only along for the ride, to get your perspective on the town.”
“Good morning to you, too. I brought you some coffee, sugar and cream on the side.” He nodded to the paper cup in the holder near her chair.
Madelyn’s muscles relaxed a moment. How could someone so thoughtful be a suspect in her mind? No. She couldn’t let his kindness—or illusion of kindness—sway her.
“You don’t like coffee?” he asked.
She snapped back to reality, realizing she hadn’t responded. “No, I do. Thank you. And good morning.”
Silence stretched a moment as he pulled away from the house. Madelyn didn’t know what to say, and small talk wasn’t coming easily at the moment. Instead, she took a sip of her
drink. It was warm and just what she needed to help her wake up.
“I just wanted to let you know that I did ask around last night after the shed incident,” the chief said. “No one saw anything. The phone number that the text message was sent from, under my name, was one of those disposable phones that anyone can get. They’re untraceable.”
Madelyn frowned. Of course no one had seen anything. And every criminal seemed to know about burner phones that they could buy at drugstores and dispose of before the police could trace them thanks to TV shows and crime novels.
Whoever had shoved her in the shed knew exactly what he was doing. He was experienced...just like the chief.
She cleared her throat. Get in his good graces, she reminded herself. That’s the best way to find answers.
“I appreciate you following up,” she finally said.
Silence stretched between them again.
“Look, I know that text was signed with my name, but like I said last night, I didn’t send it,” Zach finally said.
“That’s good to know.”
Suddenly, her throat tightened. Ahead, a white truck pulled off a road and onto a side street. This couldn’t be a coincidence. She’d seen that truck one too many times. Too many bad things had happened in connection with it.
As she remembered what it had been like in that dark shed last night, she trembled, fear threatening to overtake her. This wasn’t over yet, was it? As long as she stayed here, she would be in danger.
Was this article worth it?
Zach must have spotted the truck also because he accelerated. “That’s the guy who followed you, isn’t it?”
“I can’t be positive, but so it appears.”
“Let’s find out once and for all who’s in that driver’s seat.” He sped up, cruising down the road toward the other vehicle.
Madelyn wasn’t sure if she felt relieved or even more paranoid. She wanted answers. What she didn’t want was to look like a fool in front of the chief. If this was the wrong truck or if all of this was a coincidence, then he’d never take her seriously. She’d look like she was just trying to stir up trouble.
Dark Harbor Page 5
