Buried Memories. Carol J. Post

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СКАЧАТЬ the thought from his mind. He wasn’t going there. He had no say over where his thoughts traveled while sleeping, but he could control them when he was awake.

      Today would be the first day on his new job, temporary though it was. He was looking forward to it. Over the next few weeks, he’d work hard. And when he and Andy finished, they’d have something beautiful. It was an appealing thought. He’d seen enough destruction to last a lifetime.

      He’d almost reached Nicki’s driveway when she stepped off her porch, holding Callie’s leash. She looked up and raised a hand in greeting.

      “Good morning.”

      As soon as Sasha saw Callie, she shot off in that direction, pulling him with her. He didn’t resist. It gave him the perfect excuse to approach Nicki.

      “How did everything go last night?”

      She nodded, but there was something stiff about the action. “Okay. It doesn’t look like he took anything. I’m guessing he was hoping for some quick cash.”

      “Good.” He studied her. There was more to it than that. “And no damage was done?”

      “The doorjamb where he pried the lock is pretty messed up. The lock itself is kind of iffy, too. I’m having it replaced, but I’m getting one with a dead bolt this time.”

      Callie led her down the driveway toward the road, and he fell in beside her.

      “Can I install the lock for you? I brought power tools, and I’m sure Andy has a mortising kit I can borrow.”

      She waved aside his offer. “That’s okay. There’s a handyman in town who has done some work for a friend of mine.”

      “I want to help you out. Andy can tell you I know what I’m doing.” He paused. “I like to stay busy.” He had to stay busy. It was how he stayed sane.

      She hesitated but finally nodded. “All right. But I’m going to pay you.”

      He grinned. Stubborn as always. Of course, he hadn’t expected any different.

      When they reached the road, Callie turned to go in the same direction he and Sasha had gone, but Sasha didn’t seem to mind repeating their route. She pranced along next to Callie, ears erect, head held high, which left him to walk beside Nicki, something he didn’t mind, either.

      He’d thought she was pretty years before, but she was gorgeous now. Her features had matured, erasing the last traces of childish softness, and her green eyes held a determined sparkle, confidence replacing the scrappiness that had been there earlier. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face and brushed her shoulders. Previously a light brown color, it was now a shade of auburn too bright to be natural, but somehow perfect.

      “I’ve got to be at work in an hour, so I won’t be able to get the lock to you until this evening. We don’t have a Lowe’s or Home Depot here. I guess I need to find a hardware store.” She glanced up at him. “I’ve lived here only a month.”

      “No problem. Andy and I will be hitting Home Depot in Crystal River to pick up some materials for the inn. I’ll get your locks while we’re there.”

      She released a relieved sigh. “I appreciate it. I was trying to figure out how to fit everything in today. I took off an hour early Friday to get a jump on my trip to Miami, so I hated to have to beg off again today, being the new kid on the block.”

      “You won’t have to. I’ll make sure we have everything you need, and by bedtime tonight, I’ll have you secure.”

      She frowned. “As secure as I can be with my personal data out there.”

      He raised his brows.

      “The intruder went through my files. Seemed to be especially interested in my financial information.”

      “Not good.” No wonder she was ill at ease. “Have you filed fraud alerts?”

      “I will in a few minutes. That’s going to be my entertainment over breakfast.” She gave him a wry smile, then tugged Callie’s leash to turn her around. Sasha eagerly followed.

      “Anything else disturbed?”

      She hesitated, her lower lip pulled between her teeth. It was something she used to do whenever she was perturbed or confused or any number of other emotions. Apparently she still did. “Lavender.”

      “Lavender?” The purple rabbit? He’d once asked her why she was hanging on to an ugly, ragged-out stuffed animal, and she’d gotten rather...defensive. The bruises on his arm had lasted several days. “You still have Lavender?”

      “Until this weekend, I did.” She frowned again. “Someone was apparently not happy about finding no money in the house and decided to string her up to the ceiling fan and slice her belly open.”

      His gut clenched, and a cold wave of unease washed through him. “That doesn’t sound like your regular, run-of-the-mill burglar.”

      She pursed her lips. “Amber took it as a threat.”

      “I’d tend to agree.”

      “But I don’t have any enemies.”

      Maybe she didn’t have any she knew of. “How about saving my contact info in your phone?”

      She pulled it from her pocket and her thumbs slid over the screen. When she was ready, he gave her his number.

      “If anything happens or you feel at all unsafe, call me. I’m right next door. I can be here a lot faster than the police can.”

      She slid the phone back into her pocket. “Thanks, but I think you’re worrying over nothing. I’m sure it was a simple act of vandalism.” She stopped at the end of her driveway. “I’ll see you tonight. Meanwhile, Callie will stand guard.”

      “Let me walk you to your door.” He would make sure she was locked safely inside, then cut through the woods.

      Halfway up the drive, his gaze stopped on her porch. Something was attached to her front door. She saw it at the same time he did and picked up her pace.

      It was a single sheet of paper, folded in half, secured with a piece of tape. As she removed it, he cast an uneasy glance toward the woods. When he’d first stepped out of the house, he’d heard a rustle. He’d assumed it was an animal. Was it possible...

      When he looked at Nicki again, she was staring at the unfolded paper, brow creased. Before he could ask, she angled the page toward him. It was blank except for three words written in all caps—THE PARTY’S OVER.

      She gave him a sudden dry laugh. It held no humor, just a lot of desperation. “Trust me, these past few months, my life has been anything but a party.”

      “Someone apparently disagrees and is planning to make sure things get unpleasant fast.” He put a hand on her shoulder. “You need to call the police.”

      “I will. But it’ll have to wait till tonight. I’ve got to get to work. I can’t be late.”

      She pushed the key into the lock and СКАЧАТЬ