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She left the trail in the forest and a gust of freezing wind hit her the moment she crossed Stanton and headed along Pine. She turned into Craggy Rock and, breathing heavily, gave an extra burst of speed before reaching her front door. She opened up and went inside, quickly putting in the code for the home security. She’d made her home safe using gadgets all around. She loved technology and was considering a device that allowed her to talk to a pet during the day when she was at work. Soon she’d visit the animal shelter and find herself a nice little dog. Her ex-husband had been allergic to pets, but she could do whatever she liked and even the cowboy had mentioned he loved dogs. She smiled. It was going to be a good day and she didn’t need to show for work until six.
Startled by a sound as she walked into the mudroom to kick off her shoes, she turned slowly. Heart pounding, she peered around the door into the passageway leading to the family room and past the stairs to the kitchen. A chair scraped across the kitchen tile and panic gripped her. How had someone gotten inside her home? She had the latest in security systems, and living in Black Rock Falls, she’d taken every precaution to stay safe. She’d saved long and hard to get the best possible for her budget. She tried to listen, but her breathing came so hard it blocked any noise coming from the house. Looking around, she searched for a weapon and bit her lip in dismay. The only thing she could use was a plastic coat hanger. She snatched it up and edged slowly out of the mudroom and, keeping her back to the wall, moved slowly. The gun safe was in the family room beside the bookcase she’d purchased from a yard sale. If she made it inside the room, she’d be armed and safe from any intruder.
Moving like a cat, she stepped with caution, trying to miss the creaky floorboards. The sound came again and a bumping noise came from the kitchen. She froze mid-step as something moved and then laughed as her robot vacuum cleaner bumped its way out of the kitchen and headed along the passageway. She sidestepped it and ran up the stairs. Once in her bedroom, she took a quick shower. Hungry after her run, she ran through in her mind the food she had in the refrigerator, deciding on something nice to eat. She dried her hair and pulled on sweats. After pushing her feet into her old comfortable slippers, she headed back downstairs and into the kitchen. She opened the refrigerator door and decided on toast and coffee. She had purchased a jar of strawberry preserves from one of the stalls in town over Halloween and couldn’t wait a second longer to try some. Carrying her coffee and toast back along the passageway, she hummed a tune. She’d sit in front of the TV, watch the early news, and relax.
She turned on the TV and sat down, placing her coffee on the table. A movement out of the corner of her eye startled her. She turned and stared into the grinning face of the cowboy from the pizzeria. “How did you get in here?”
“What, no ‘hello, great to see you again’?” He stared at her, one hand wrapped around a Glock. “I know you like me, so I dropped by. I don’t know what’s wrong with women. They act all nice when I meet them, but the moment I get them alone they turn ugly.”
Johanna’s gaze flicked to the gun locker. It was only a few feet away, but she’d never make it. The cowboy looked bigger than before and she was five-five and small. She placed the toast on the table and swallowed the rising fear. Screaming would get her nowhere. Her house was too far from the next property for anyone to hear her. “Hello. It’s good to see you again, but why are you in my house? What do you want?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged but the gun was pointed at her chest. “I like to see a woman’s reaction to seeing me. First they’re all sugar and spice, and then it’s ‘why are you here?’ They treat me like trash.”
Trying hard not to show he’d terrified her, Johanna nodded. “I’m sorry to hear that, but I’d still like to know how you got inside my house without triggering the alarm.”
“No one is safe, Johanna.” He folded his arms and leaned against the wall, but the gun remained pointed at her. “All your gadgets, the motion-sensing cameras, the one on the door, the robot vacuum cleaner, and all the smart things you have in your home—the coffee pot, the refrigerator that tells you when food is low—all have cameras. I’ve been watching you, everything you do. In the shower, getting dressed, pulling on the pink floral panties. I see everything. I know the code to your security system. I can turn them off and on just by using my phone. Right now, all your cameras are switched off. No one saw me walk into the house, nobody knows I’m here.” He smiled. “No one can see what happens here. It’s just you and me, Johanna.”
Trembling with terror, she bit down hard on her bottom lip. Why was he here? Did he just intend to frighten her? He wasn’t acting violent, but he’d been watching her and her skin crawled at the thought. She stared at him in disbelief. “How did you do that?”
“Don’t you know appliances with Wi-Fi are the easiest to hack? Security cameras, nanny cams, those stupid robotic vacuums that go all around a house once a day. They are the best for seeing if anyone is at home or not. Most people program them for when they’re away. It makes it so easy to break into a house. The motion-detecting sensor over your front door gave me the code for your security system. Do you know how many people have a robot vacuum cleaner for upstairs and downstairs and how easily anyone with a small knowledge of hacking can control them? I can move them around and watch your every move. It’s better than any reality show on TV and mine is uncensored.” He chuckled. “Oh, yeah. I see everything up close and personal.”
Panic rising, Johanna tried to breathe. “I think you should leave now.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” He straightened and came to stand between her and the TV. “I came here to ask you to become my girl. You being here all the time on your lonesome, I figured you’d appreciate someone like me. I know about the other guy.” He waved a finger at her. “You do put some interesting things on your computer. You planning on writing a book? I almost blushed when I read about me, but I needed to delete that part.”
Startled by his request, Johanna shook her head. Suddenly the handsome cowboy had become a terrifying Peeping Tom. “If you like me, why are you holding a gun on me?”
“To keep you in line.” He shrugged. “I didn’t want you attacking me or running screaming from the house. The thing is guns are too messy. If I wanted to hurt you real bad, I’d probably strangle you. It takes a long time and is painful, but that’s not my style.” He leaned in closer. “You didn’t answer my question. Do you want to be my girl?”
Gripping her hands together to prevent him seeing her terror, she shook her head. “No. Now can you please leave?”
“Sure.” The cowboy shrugged. “That’s your choice, just don’t move until I leave. Don’t touch your phone. Place it on the floor and kick it over toward the TV. Don’t think about calling anyone, because you can’t prove I was here and I’ll come by at any time I want. Just remember that… any time. I’m like a ghost and I will come back. You’ll never know when I’m watching you.” He stared at her until she complied. “There’s a good girl. I’ll have my gun aimed at your head.” He walked out of her sight.
Shaking all over, Johanna listened over the sound of the TV for his footsteps. A whiff of men’s cologne drifted toward her. She could sense him close behind her and shuddered with apprehension. Too afraid to move, she stared straight ahead. Hot breath brushed her ear and she shivered as a finger moved the hair from the back of her neck. She clenched her jaw. “I thought you said you were leaving?”
“I am.” Something cold touched the back of her neck. “So long, Johanna, it was fun while it lasted.”
TWELVE
The wind howling down from the mountain buffeted Jake Rowley as he climbed inside his sheriff’s department truck. As they headed for Rosemount Drive, he gave his partner, Deputy Zac Rio, a rundown on the Jennifer Kriss problem and then the mystery of Kane’s disappearance. “I figure we’d be hunting down Kane if it wasn’t for the 911 call.” He flicked him a glance. “Jenna must be losing her mind with worry.”
“We should be out looking for him.” Rio shook his head slowly. “He wouldn’t be sitting on his hands if one of us was in trouble, would he?”
Worry for Kane was knotting Rowley’s stomach. “He’d risk his life for anyone, that’s who he is.” He shot a glance at Rio as they headed along Stanton. “Jenna and Wolfe are trying to get a fix on his phone. Blackhawk is still out in the forest hunting for any clues. They’ve come up empty. If anyone had a direction he went in, we’d all be out looking.”
“What is Jenna doing to locate him?” Rio’s mouth flattened into a thin line. “If he was abducted, who would take him and why? If we discover what’s behind it, we might be able to locate him.”
Rowley turned into Pine and followed the winding tree-lined blacktop before turning into Rosemount Drive. “I’d say Jenna is doing that as we speak.”
“Then let’s hope she has some leads we can follow by the time we get into the office.” Rio ran a hand down his face. “We’ve gone as far as we’re able with the Dakota Slade homicide. I hope Wolfe finds something.” Rio shrugged. “The more I looked into her background, the less I found. She hasn’t done anything in her life to make her a victim.” He waved a hand. “I’ve come to the conclusion, apart from kids, peoples’ lives bring them into contact with a variety of people. When we consider a serial killer’ s victims, the most likely to be murdered are high-risk victims, like vagrants and sex workers. Next are women who live alone.”
Rowley nodded. “Let’s just hope this isn’t another homicide. If it is, we’re going to need help.”
He turned into a driveway and followed it in a half circle to the front door of a ranch house. A man was leaning against his truck, with his arms folded across his chest. “That will be Brian Lock. He’s a local carpenter.” He stopped beside the carpenter’s truck and climbed out. “Have you had any luck contacting Ms. Kriss?”
“Nope. I’ve called her phone and I can hear it ringing inside.” Lock shrugged. “I figured if she’s been in the shower, she’d have been through by now and then there’s a smell. I walked around back and the door is wide open. The smell is coming from inside.”
“Did you go inside or touch anything?” Rio frowned at the man. “You didn’t mention the open back door when you called.”
