Danger on the Mountain

Forty-five minutes later, she signed off, thanked God once again for the ability to work from home and got up to check on Belle. Sleeping soundly.

Mrs. Adler had slipped in and was sitting in the recliner reading a book. “Hello there.”

The woman set the book in her lap and looked up to smile at Maggie. “Hi. Belle’s sleeping away, and I’m enjoying a good book. How’d your class go?”

“Great. I only had three show up today, and we had a fascinating discussion about right angles.”

Mrs. Adler grimaced. “Please don’t talk about math. I still get hives if I have to think about numbers without a calculator in front of me.”

Maggie laughed. “I love math. I actually prefer it.” A noise outside the door made her jump and turn. “Did you hear that?”

“Hear what?”

Shivers danced in her stomach, but she didn’t want to alarm Mrs. Adler unnecessarily. “Um...I thought I heard Belle. Do you mind checking on her?”

“Sure, hon.” Mrs. Adler walked down the hall and Maggie swiveled to stare at the front door.

She slowly walked over to it.

The knob jiggled and she stepped back, heart thumping. “Who is it?” She hated the tremble in her voice, but after this morning, the bank robber’s threat loomed close to the front of her mind.

The knob stilled. Faint footsteps reached her ears, and she felt her pulse kick it up a notch.

Maggie went to the side window and looked out just I time to see a slim jean-clad figure race around the side of the house.

Slim, tall, ragged, loose-fitting jeans.

Slim? The man from the bank?

Her breath snagged in her throat and fear thumped through her.

Fingers fumbled for the phone. Finally, she wrapped her hand around it then punched in 911.

* * *

Reese slapped the pen down onto the desk. He’d prefer to work with a computer, but his hadn’t been set up yet. Looking around, he smiled. Not that much different in this office than the one he’d come from. Washington, D.C., was just bigger and louder.

Eli shoved a ragged-looking man in front of him as he escorted him down the hall to the holding cell. The man let loose a string of curses that didn’t stop even when the door clanked shut.

Reese’s radio crackled on his shoulder.

Nope, not that much different. And maybe just as loud.

He looked at Eli and gestured toward the prisoner. “That Pete?”

“The one and only.”

Pete Scoggins. The town drunk. Reese had heard about him five minutes after being in town.

Pete wilted to the floor of the cell and Eli slid into the desk opposite Reese. “Anything on the bank robbery?”

“No. Anything on the identity of the man who cracked his head on the floor?”

Eli shook his head. “He’s awake and released from the hospital and into our custody, but he’s not talking.”

“She said he wouldn’t,” Reese murmured.

“What’s that?”

“Maggie. She said the man wouldn’t talk.”

Eli blew out a sigh. “Well, she’s got it right so far.”

“Anything on a gunshot wound coming in at any of the hospitals?”

“Nothing.” Eli pursed his lips and ran a hand over his chin. “I’ve gotten the word out to be on the lookout for the two other robbers, one with a gunshot wound in his shoulder. So far, we’re batting zero.”

“Hey, I can hear you back here real good,” Pete hollered from his cell. “You talking about those boys who robbed the bank, ain’t ya?”

Eli rolled his eyes. “Yeah, Pete. We are. We’ll try to keep it down so you can sleep it off.”

“I seen ’em, you know.”

Reese lifted a brow and got up to follow Eli. Eli stood in front of Pete’s cell. “Where? What do you know about them?”

Pete yawned and shrugged. “I’ll tell you after I get me a good hot meal.”

“Aw, you’re just yanking my chain,” Eli said and turned to go back down the hall. But Reese wasn’t so sure.

“Give me something on those guys, and I’ll see what I can do about the hot meal.”

Pete eyed him. “You’re new here.”

Reese met his gaze. “I am.”

“Don’t know if I can trust you.” He looked down the hall. “Hey, Eli! This new boy trustworthy?”

“Yep,” Eli hollered back.

“Saw ’em in Miz Holly’s café eating before the robbery. I was sitting at the counter drinking me a coffee and they were talking real low, but I could hear ’em. I inched over and heard one of ’em say he’d take care of the woman.”

The woman. Maggie? Reese’s gut clenched. How would they—

The dispatcher’s voice came over his radio. “911 call, an intruder at six, seven, zero, Firebird Lane.”

Eli frowned and stood, grabbing his keys. “That’s Maggie’s address.”

Reese’s heart thudded, his sudden adrenaline rush familiar, pushing his senses to the hyperalert range that had kept him alive more than once. “I know. I just dropped her off.”