Читать книгу Trained To Defend - Christy Barritt - Страница 15

Sarah’s heart raced as she sat on the couch and stared at the words on her phone.

The killer knew who she was? How? What did this mean?

Fear rushed through her. Exactly what was this man planning to do when he found her? Sarah didn’t even have to ask that question. She knew what he planned on doing.

He would kill her.

She should have pulled up his mask and looked at his face. At least then she would know what the man looked like.

But it was too late for that now. It didn’t matter.

Her head spun as reality again hit her and left her reeling.

“It’s going to be okay, Sarah,” Colton said beside her.

His voice snapped her back to the moment. His platitude was meant to bring her comfort but it failed. Nothing was going to be okay. Nothing.

Why couldn’t Colton see that? Why did he always think things would be okay when they clearly wouldn’t? Sometimes people couldn’t change their circumstances, no matter how hard they tried.

Sarah’s life had been a case in point.

Nothing had gone the way she’d planned—including her relationship with Colton.

She put her hands over her face. Why had she ever come here? What had she been thinking?

This was just one more bad decision in a long line of them.

Colton leaned closer, still staring at her phone. As he did, his arm brushed hers, and a surge of old memories rushed through her. Memories of when life used to be happy. When the future had seemed bright. When it looked like her future wouldn’t be a repeat of her past.

Sarah had been wrong then. As much as she wanted to believe and trust in God’s plan for her future, she’d accepted the fact that her future was meant to be full of struggles. Other people might cruise through life and find happiness. But not Sarah.

Her father had left. Her mother had been arrested. She and her sister had grown up with a string of foster care families—and they hadn’t been together in most of those homes.

No, life had never been smooth sailing. Even now as an adult, life had been full of financial and career struggles, all of which had led her to this point.

“Do you have any idea what he’s talking about when he says, ‘You have something I want’?” Colton asked, his gaze still laser focused on her phone screen and that text she’d received.

Sarah’s mind raced, charging back to the present. What did the man mean? What exactly had he come to Loretta’s to get this evening?

“I have no clue,” she said, her voice shaky. “I left with nothing. All my things are still at Loretta’s. It was just me and Buzz and a few of Buzz’s essentials that were in a bag by the back door.”

She leaned down and patted Buzz’s head. The dog leaned into her, but Sarah noted how his eyes remained on guard as he scanned the room.

She felt sorry for Buzz. He’d cherished Loretta so much and had been such a faithful companion.

The dog was truly beautiful. White with gray spots. His eyes were an icy blue, and he had a matching collar. Despite his regal demeanor, the dog also had a playful side. Loretta had trained him well. All she had to do was cluck her tongue once, twice or three times, and he would immediately obey whatever command corresponded.

In fact, in some ways, the dog had been like a child to Loretta. Buzz had been raised to act as an emotional support canine for her.

“Is Buzz special?” Colton asked, staring at the husky.

Sarah looked at the dog again. “I mean, he’s special in the sense that he’s a great dog. But he’s not of a championship bloodline or anything.”

“That’s strange that the man would say that then.” Colton reached over and rubbed Buzz’s head also. “Whoever killed Loretta must think you have something—something worth killing for.”

Sarah wrapped her arms over her chest. “I agree. But it doesn’t make sense. What am I going to do, Colton?”

Colton stood. “You should take that shower. Maybe it will help you clear your head.”

She rose to her feet. “You’re right. I need to get this blood off me.”

Loretta’s blood.

Nausea churned in her stomach.

Everything still felt surreal, like a nightmare.

Only Sarah knew she wouldn’t wake up and everything wouldn’t be better this time.

Colton waited until he heard the door to the bathroom open and close before he peered around the hallway.

Sarah’s clothes were on the floor, neatly folded, just as he’d asked.

His heart twisted as he quietly stepped from his room, carefully picked the dress up and slipped it into a bag.

The clothing would most likely be needed as evidence. Though Sarah didn’t want to tell the police what had happened, Colton hoped to make her come around. And, when she did, these clothes would need to be examined.

Though Sarah wanted to stay far away from the police, they would only help her. That was their job—to find the truth. Colton had no idea why her boss had told her not to talk to them. Was there more to that story? Or had the woman been delirious during her final moments?

Colton left the bag on the washing machine for the time being and then went into his bedroom. He opened the door to the attic and stepped inside, a musky smell enveloping him. He searched for a moment before finding what he wanted.

An old burgundy trunk. With a touch of trepidation, Colton opened the lid.

Sarah’s old clothes stared back at him.

She’d left them at his old place when they thought they were getting married. She’d needed somewhere to store a few things, and his place had seemed like a logical choice. When he’d moved, he’d thought about getting rid of them. Why hadn’t he?

He wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter now.

He rummaged through several things before pulling out some choices for Sarah.

Colton deposited the clothes for Sarah outside the bathroom door. He could still hear the water running on the other side and steam seeped from beneath the doorway.

He pulled out his phone, remembering that call he’d promised to make to find out more information on Loretta’s death. He glanced at his watch. It was early—too early to make any inquiries without bringing attention to himself, which was the last thing Sarah would want.

But there was one person Colton could call. Fred Higgins. The man was his closest neighbor and one of the most vigilant people he knew. If there was any suspicious activity in this area, Fred would know about it.

The man always woke at the crack of dawn, and it was already past 7:00 a.m. Quickly, Colton dialed his number and waited for an answer. Mr. Higgins didn’t disappoint.

“What I can I do for you, Hawk?”

“Morning, Higgins. Listen, did you hear anyone coming down our road last night?” Colton got right to the heart of the matter, knowing the ex-military man would appreciate his directness.

“Funny you ask that. As a matter of fact, I did. An old beat up sedan came through about four thirty, taking it real slow.”

Sarah. That had to be Sarah’s car. “An old friend is here visiting me.”

“Good to know. Strange thing is that a few minutes later, another car crept by.”

Colton’s spine stiffened. “Is that right?”

Colton walked to the window and peered out, looking for any sign that someone was there. The sun hadn’t risen yet, and everything was still clothed in darkness, making it nearly impossible to see.

“That’s right. But it turned around and left a few minutes later. Figured someone got lost.”

Colton wished he felt as confident about that. But at least he knew more now. “Thanks, Mr. Higgins.”

“Everything okay?”

“It’s fine. I know you like to keep an eye on this mountain. My friend thought she saw someone behind her.”

“Well, she was right. But, like I said, that other car turned around.”

But that also meant that someone knew where Sarah was. Most likely, the killer. The thought made Colton’s stomach churn.

“Will you let me know if you see anyone else?” Colton asked.

“Absolutely.”

Colton ended the call and leaned against the wall as the impact of this early morning’s encounter hit him. Sarah…he never thought he’d see her again, especially not like this.

The two had met when he’d been a detective in Seattle. Sarah had worked in a coffee shop he liked to frequent. They started talking about some of the artwork hanging on the walls, and Sarah had finally admitted the paintings were hers and that she’d been working as a barista just until she got her big break in the art world.

After a month of coming in every day for coffee, Colton had finally asked her out. They were inseparable after that first date. They’d gotten engaged six months later and planned for a spring wedding.

But one night on a case, Colton had been forced to shoot an intoxicated, belligerent man who’d put innocent people in the line of fire. Guilt had haunted Colton ever since—especially when he remembered the rage the man’s wife had toward him afterward. He wasn’t a hero to her. No, he was the villain.

It wasn’t long after that that Colton had decided to move from Seattle to northern Idaho. He wanted a slower pace of life in a more peaceful area. He wanted a lot of land and clean air and fewer demands.

Sarah had seemed onboard at first…and then she’d taken that job at an art gallery in Spokane, saying it was too big of an opportunity to pass up.

Apparently, that opportunity was bigger and more important than he was. His stomach clenched at the memories.

His life looked so much different today than it had two years ago. Colton had taken a break from police work. Instead, he built live-edge tables out in his barn.

His friend with the state police called him every month, asking when he wanted to come work for him. But Colton had refused. He’d know when the time was right to go back—if he ever did go back.

Despite all of that, sometimes he wished he could turn back time and go back to those days when his life had seemed so full. Back when he’d had someone to share his sorrows and joys. When his dreams of having a family had seemed close enough to touch.

There was no use dwelling on all of that now. He had other more pressing concerns to think about. The first thing he wanted to do right now was move Sarah’s car out of sight—just in case.

He grabbed Sarah’s car keys—she’d left them on the table—and then went outside and climbed into her sedan.

Colton cranked the engine and slowly pulled around to the back of his cabin.

As he did, he glanced around. This car was old. It was the one Sarah had back when they’d been engaged. And it had been unreliable then.

In fact, Colton was surprised the vehicle had even made it this far. It was probably fifteen years old, one of the seats was ripped and the engine made a puttering sound.

Colton put the car into Park and shook his head. Just what had happened with Sarah in the past two years?

His jaw tightened. It wasn’t important. That wasn’t his business. Nor was what kind of car Sarah was driving or what kind of condition it was in.

As he took the keys out of the ignition, he glanced on the floor and saw a bag there. It seemed out of place in the vehicle. The leather looked expensive and new.

Colton started to reach for it and then stopped himself.

No, he wouldn’t look inside. That was too intrusive. But his curiosity was sparked.

He glanced down at it one more time and saw a tag on the side labeling the bag as Buzz’s. This must be dog supplies.

At that thought, he unzipped it, checking to see if there were items inside that he needed to take into his house for Buzz.

Instead, he saw money.

A lot of money.

Carefully, he prodded the bag open more. His eyes widened.

Just by looking, Colton would guess there was at least fifty thousand dollars there.

Where had Sarah gotten that money? He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Had she gotten in with the wrong crowd? Had she done something illegal?

Colton didn’t like the conclusions that his mind started to form.

But he needed to be more cautious now than ever.