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FORTY-EIGHT
Piper filled the coffee pots in Jenna’s office and went downstairs to fill the one in the kitchenette used by Rio and Rowley. It was something Maggie always did for the team when they were working nonstop on a case. As she walked down the stairs, Jenna came from the interview rooms followed by the rest of the team. She smiled at her. “I filled the coffee pots and I’ll head down to Aunt Betty’s to collect the takeout now.”
“Thank you. We all need a break.” Jenna smiled at her. “I’m really happy you accepted the internship. Having you here in your spare time is like a breath of sunshine. We really appreciate your help.”
It wasn’t difficult to enjoy working with Jenna. The team were all like family. Piper smiled. “I didn’t know I’d get paid as well. I just wanted to help out.” She grinned. “Cade will be so jealous but he’s working on his truck right now.”
“It’s what the mayor wants for our town. He encourages internships as he wants the locals to remain in town for work rather than take their talent out of state.” Jenna waved a hand toward the stairs. “I need to get back to work. Catch you later.”
Piper headed for her truck. For once it started okay and she headed along Main. Luckily there was an angle parking spot right outside Aunt Betty’s, but another vehicle coming in the opposite direction was slowing down looking for a space. She accelerated and barely made the spot without hitting the vehicles on either side. She jumped from her truck and looked into the black eyes of the driver of the other vehicle. Anger radiated from him and she could see his mouth move but didn’t catch what he’d said. She took a step toward the sidewalk when his mouth turned down in a snarl and his window buzzed down. Before he could say anything, Piper giggled. “You snooze, you lose.” She turned and hurried into Aunt Betty’s.
She collected the sealed boxes, surprised at seeing evidence stickers all over them and frowned at Susie. “What’s with the evidence stickers?”
“Some food was tampered with a time ago.” Susie shrugged. “Kane likes to make sure the food gets to them without being poisoned along the way.”
Piper nodded. “Oh, I see.”
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was George from Miller’s Garage. “Yeah, sure, I can drop it in at three, not a problem. Thanks for fitting it in for me.”
Glad her truck could be seen early, she carried the box of takeout to her truck and climbed inside. Across the road, she noticed the angry man still glaring at her. She shrugged. He could have the parking spot now. It wasn’t as if he’d waited long. She drove back to the office, delivered the box to Jenna, and went downstairs to the front counter. “Is it okay if I drop my truck into Miller’s Garage at three? He said he’d look at it right away. I’ll wait for him to fix it and then head home, if that’s okay?”
“That’s just fine.” Maggie smiled at her. “You’ve been such a help for me. I needed some time to plan for Thanksgiving. We have the entire family dropping by this year.”
The afternoon sped by and she left a little before three to drop her truck at Miller’s Garage. “How long will it take?”
“That depends on what’s wrong with it.” George Miller smiled at her. “You should ask me for an estimate before I start working on it.”
Nodding, Piper gave him her phone number. “I’ll go and wait at the pizzeria. Can you call me when you know how much it will cost?”
“Okay.” George nodded and gave her details to his daughter, who entered them onto the computer. “It will be an hour or so. There’s one customer in front of you.”
She wasn’t overly concerned about the cost. The truck was in great condition. Kane and her brother Zac had worked on it last summer. Whatever was wrong was something minor and she had money. Her parents’ insurance was more than enough to pay for college and then some. “Okay, thanks.”
She waited at the pizzeria listening to the conversations around her. Knowing she’d be coming by, she hadn’t eaten lunch and was starving. She paced herself, buying a slice of pizza and then waiting some time before getting another. A few of her friends dropped by and she chatted with them for a while. Time moved by fast, but it was starting to get dark and still no word from the garage. She decided to walk back and find out what had happened. As she stepped out onto the sidewalk a cold chill slid down her spine. Across Main, the angry man in the truck sat staring at her. The sight of him made the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, but what could he do to her? People still walked along Main and no one in Black Rock Falls just stood by if someone was in trouble. It wasn’t that kind of town. Pushing away the disturbing feeling the man gave her, she lifted her chin and walked confidently along the sidewalk. If he was trying to spook her just because she took his parking spot, he needed to get a life.
A cold wind buffeted her all the way to Miller’s Garage and she pushed open the door to the office, glad to be inside. She looked at the girl on the counter. “No one called. Is my truck ready?”
“No, I’m sorry. I’ve been waiting for a callback on a part. As you wanted an estimate, I needed to be sure before ordering it, but the list price is two hundred, so it will be that plus labor.” The woman smiled at her. “They said they’d call right back on the delivery time.” She glanced at her watch. “I doubt they will now. They close at five. We have loaners here. Do you want one?”
Disappointed, Piper glanced out at the darkening sky. It was a long walk home but not far enough to take a loaner. In the morning, she could get a ride with Rio to the sheriff’s office and by the end of the day, with luck, her truck would be ready, if not, she’d walk home. She looked at the woman. “I’ll be fine and please tell George to go ahead and fix it if it’s under five hundred dollars. If it’s any more, give me a call.”
“Sure.” The woman smiled. “I’m sorry we couldn’t get the part for you today.”
Buttoning her coat against the ice-cold wind, Piper stepped out onto Main determined to walk home. She could go back to the office and wait for Zac to finish work, but he could be tied up for hours. She thought for a beat. Living in Black Rock Falls had its restrictions, and her brother could see serial killers on every corner and was constantly reminding her to stay safe. It drove her crazy. He’d likely scold her for walking home alone, but it wasn’t as if he were her dad, and he needed to stop treating her like a child. Determined to prove how responsible she could be, she lifted her chin and headed down Main. She had nothing else to do, and as she walked, paused to browse store windows. She wanted to find something suitable to wear for the Thanksgiving dinner at Jenna’s house. She loved the family atmosphere and seeing everyone so happy. The one thing Jenna excelled at was making people feel like they belonged. Most of the stores were closing and she quickened her step. As she glanced into a storefront window, she noticed the scary man’s truck crawling along the road. Is he following me?
Piper swallowed hard when he pulled into a parking spot and climbed out. Now she could see him clearly. He resembled Carter, but it wasn’t him. She’d met Carter many times and he was always at the celebrations at Jenna’s house. He had a handsome face and remarkable green eyes. This man’s black eyes seemed to cut right through her and gave her the creeps. The sheriff’s office was close by, and she needed to walk past it to get home. If he was still following her, she’d go inside. She might want to prove a point to Zac, but being suicidal wasn’t part of the equation and she quickened her pace. She slowed at the office to look behind her. Relief flooded over her. He wasn’t there. She’d overreacted and could just imagine if she’d run into the office making a big fuss about nothing. Zac would never let her out alone again.
Just to be certain, Piper stood for a few moments searching the sidewalks to make sure the man wasn’t anywhere in sight. Confident the perceived threat had passed, she moved on. Their house was opposite Stanton Forest. At first, they’d lived in a house owned by the sheriff’s office, but as her brother had received a substantial inheritance, including insurance payouts and recently the proceeds from the sale of their parents’ home, he’d purchased a big old ranch-style house, surrounded by acres of land. It had plenty of room for everyone, including their housekeeper, Mrs. Jacobs, who had been like a grandma since they’d arrived in Black Rock Falls. Inside they had five bedrooms and a study, plus a separate residence for their housekeeper.
The streetlights blinked on as dusk dropped over the landscape. It was strange how everything turned from green and gold to gray and black as night fell, as if night sucked all the life out of the scenery. As if set to a timetable, the mist oozed from the rivers, through the forest and drifted across the blacktop. It was only about a mile to go and Piper wished she’d taken the offer of a loaner. It didn’t seem so far in her truck but on foot, Stanton stretched out before her endlessly.
Gritting her teeth and pushing freezing fingers deep into the pockets of her coat, she placed one foot in front of the other and ran as fast as possible between each streetlight, but they didn’t go into the rural areas and a darkening expanse loomed ahead. At the end of the streetlights the ranch houses were set far apart. The sidewalk vanished and she moved onto the blacktop. In the dusk, she could still make her way. Although the sun had set, it didn’t get full dark for a time yet. Thirsty and wishing she’d taken a bottle of water with her, she put one foot in front of the other. A few vehicles went by, making her leap onto the road shoulder, but when they went by the night closed in around her. The forest creaked and groaned, owls hooted, and she wished she’d had the forethought to bring her bear spray with her. She’d left the cannister in her truck, along with her backpack. All she had with her was her phone. Tucked into the case was an ATM card and her driver’s license.
When headlights swept over her as someone turned into a fire road behind her, she didn’t turn to watch. Many people lived in cabins spread all over the forest and she just kept on walking. Not much farther now. Once around the next sweeping bend she’d see the lights of her home in the distance. Stanton stretched out, disappearing into darkness as it curved away from her, and she followed the yellow line, although in the deepening darkness it was hardly visible. If it got much darker, she’d use her phone to walk the last few yards.
The sound of footsteps came from behind her, the tap, tap, tap of the steel tip of a cowboy boot hitting the blacktop. Her heart missed a beat as she listened, sure she’d imagined the sound. It paused and then came again. Taking a deep breath, she stopped walking and turned to stare along the empty road. Was someone there? It was difficult to see if anyone was walking along the forest side of the road. The tall pines cast long shadows and would hide anyone from view. All a person had to do was stand still. She turned slowly and picked up her pace. Two seconds later the footsteps came again. Unease crept over her. Where had they come from? Maybe it was someone returning from a hunting trip? She turned again. The footsteps stopped. She hadn’t imagined it, that was for sure, but all alone in this part of town, maybe someone was trying to scare her? If it was Cade, she’d kill him. If so, the trick was working just fine. She moved on and the footsteps started up again. She stopped and the footfalls faded. Whoever was doing this to her was giving her the creeps. Is this some kind of sick joke?
FORTY-NINE
