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Hunt sympathized. He’d seen it a lot. When someone broke into a house, it made the residents feel violated and unsafe. Home was supposed to be where you could let your guard down. When that sense of security was taken away, it took a long time to get it back.
“I’m scared,” Mrs. Phelps whispered. “I’ve never been hit before. It came out of nowhere. And what did I do that he needed to hit me like that?”
“Nothing,” Hunt assured her. “And we will do everything possible to find the person who did this to you.”
“He’s a mean man.” Mrs. Phelps shivered.
“Can you describe him for me?”
“Tall. Slim.”
“How tall?”
Mrs. Phelps sized him up. “A few inches shorter than you. Not as wide in the shoulders. Lean. Not with all your muscles.”
Hunt tried not to smile at Mrs. Phelps’s gleam of approval that came into her eyes as she roamed her gaze over him.
“What color hair?”
“Not sure. He wore a black hooded mask with a white scary face on it.”
“Like a ghost face?”
She nodded. “I guess that’s what it was. Looked like a Halloween mask of some kind.”
“It’s a very popular one.” Which meant he wouldn’t get anywhere trying to trace it to a particular buyer. Other victims had reported the mask, too.
Mrs. Phelps filled in the other details. “He wore a black sweatshirt with a hood, black jeans, black boots and gloves. I don’t know if he was white or something else. His voice just sounded like a man, but like he was trying to make it sound deeper.” She shrugged. “That’s not much help, is it?”
“If he wore gloves, we won’t find any fingerprints. With the mask over his head, probably no stray hairs. He was careful.”
“He’s done this before.”
Hunt nodded. “There have been other break-ins here and in other nearby towns. It sounds like the same guy.” Hunt needed to check those other cases to see if the guy used a gun in every one and if he’d assaulted other individuals. Was the guy escalating? Breaking into occupied homes was a risk in and of itself. Why not wait for the occupants to leave? Then again, hitting a senior citizen’s home probably felt like a low-risk opportunity.
“Put the ice back on your face,” he coaxed, not liking the extensive bruising blooming on her face andaround her eye. “I’ll take a look around the house, see if I can find any clues.” He doubted the guy had left any trace of himself behind, but Hunt would look and hope he found something, because he really wanted to get this guy.
Mrs. Phelps patted his hand. “Thank you for your help.”
“I wish I could do more.”
“You’re here. You make me feel safe. The stuff I lost... Well, it’s just stuff. Right? I have my memories. I’m thinking staying with my daughter isn’t such a bad idea. I’d get to be with my granddaughter and make new memories with her.”
“I think that’s a great idea. I have a niece. Eliza. We have a weekly Pancake Tuesday breakfast, but I wish I had more time to spend with her.”
“Make time. You never know when it’s going to run out.” She pointed to the goose egg on her head.
“You sure you don’t want me to call an ambulance?”
“I can’t afford one. I’m okay.”
“Just to be sure, I’m going to take you to the emergency room myself. I’ll bring you home, too.”
“You’re a good man, Officer Wilde.”
“Would you like me to call your daughter and tell her what happened?”
She shook her head. “I’ll do that while you look around.”
