Deception

“Who’s there?”

How could anyone have come up here with her? She would have heard them, right? “Meral, is that you?”

Her knees shook. She was far weaker than she wanted to be. Too weak to deal with her secret right now. Jewel would come back another day. Maybe when Chief Winters returned from his look at the falls she would tell him everything.

Except he would be disappointed in her, and she didn’t think she could bear that. She made her way through the maze of junk, heading for the steps out of the attic.

The sense of a presence and the rush of wind were all the warning she received. Someone grabbed her from behind, wrapping an arm around her neck.

There was no doubt as to his intention—to choke her to death.

Her pulse skyrocketed. Heart pounded.

But Chief Winters’s words penetrated the fear that gripped her mind and body.

First, don’t panic. Take slow, deep breaths to relax. Then assess what is happening. But do it quickly. A quick reaction can save you.

Breathe. She had to breathe. Hard to do. When. He’s. Choking. Me.

Second, grab his arms. Drop your weight.

She let herself drop, but his grip didn’t waver.

Stomp on his foot.

Jewel jabbed her heel into his foot. Then she tried to move. That was the whole point. Move and slam her fist into his groin. But he kept her pinned tightly.

She couldn’t budge. Her stomp made no noticeable difference. Again. She tried again.

Next she raised her arm, preparing to turn into her attacker and strike him with her elbow. She’d practiced this and had been successful in class demonstrations. But her attacker seemed to expect her every move and squeezed her tighter, holding her in a vice.

Breathe.

She couldn’t breathe.

Darkness edged her vision. Bright pinpoints of light sparked across her eyes.

She struggled and twisted. Had to try something else.

If you can’t get away, try to head butt. Grab his ears, nose, anything to gain an escape.

Jewel threw her head forward and then back against her attacker’s face. His grip loosened enough for Jewel to break free. She pushed forward and away. Took off running as she gasped for oxygen. No time to stop or even scream.

Had to put distance between them. Escape. She had to get away.

She ran for the only exit.

But he slammed into her back. Toppled her. Jewel fell forward, her body slamming hard against the floor. Pain sliced through her, exacerbating her previous injuries. His body weight pressed heavily against her. His breath was hot across her neck.

God, please, no!

Lungs still burning, Jewel screamed, releasing what little air she’d grabbed.

She couldn’t catch her breath, but there were two things she needed to know. “Who are...you? What do you want?”

Voices resounded from below.

Katy and Meral had heard the ruckus.

Jewel tried to scream again to let them know where she was. “Help—”

Boxes toppled, slamming down on her bruised body. Crashing into her head.

Darkness engulfed her.

FOUR (#ulink_a7379825-3054-5388-9fbd-2c623c6d0a6f)

It was late afternoon by the time Colin steered his Jeep up to the B and B. Terry headed back to the police station to finish paperwork, and Cade headed home to his son, little Scotty, and wife, Leah, who was pregnant with their second child. But David had ridden along with Colin and would pick up his truck and Katy, his grandmother. Colin stepped from his Jeep and studied the house. Picturesque and peaceful. A bald eagle soared above the property. Trees rustled in a cooler-than-usual August breeze.

David climbed from the Jeep and walked around, waiting on Colin. “Quiet on the outside. I just hope there’s nothing wrong on the inside.”

“That makes two of us.”

Colin noted David’s truck and Jewel’s Durango parked to the side. He didn’t see Meral and Buck’s rental, which caused him concern. Meral had promised to stay with Jewel, but maybe her husband had the car and was running errands in town. Colin had met Meral earlier—as beautiful as her sister but several years younger—but he had yet to meet Buck Cambridge.

He wanted to know more about the husband. Meet the man and get a sense of him. See his interactions with his wife and sister-in-law.

Colin had watched Meral with Jewel and could easily see she loved her sister. In his mind, in his gut, Meral wasn’t a suspect, though she’d been conveniently missing, as had her husband, when Jewel had gone into the falls. Regardless, Colin refused to depend on his gut feeling. He’d get the facts.

He and David headed to the porch.

“What are you going to tell her?” David asked.

Jewel would be disappointed they still knew next to nothing. He didn’t like to heap more pain on her injuries.

“I’ll reassure her we’ll do our best to find whoever did this.” Colin opened the front door and stepped into the foyer.

Cell in hand and eyes wide, Meral rushed forward. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here! It’s Jewel...” Meral fumbled and dropped her phone, but didn’t bend to pick it up. Instead, she ran away.

Colin glanced at David, his heart plunging to his knees, and took off after Meral. “What’s happened?” he called after her.

She ran up the stairs and called back to him without pausing. “She’s hurt.”

And then another flight of stairs.

“But what happened? Does she need medical attention?”

“Maybe. Boxes fell on her. I don’t know what happened. We just heard her scream and found her in the attic. I came downstairs to grab my phone and was calling 911 when you came in.”