Stranger in the Shadows

Chloe didn’t like the sound of that and hurried down the stairs and outside, the crisp fall air making her shiver. Or maybe it was fear that had her shaking.

“I won’t be long. Stay in the car until I come back out. I don’t want to mistake you for the intruder.”

“And I don’t want to be out here alone.” She might not like the idea of someone being in the house, but she liked the idea of staying outside by herself even less.

“Then it’s good you don’t have to be.” As he spoke a figure stepped out of the cruiser. Tall, broad-shouldered and moving with lithe and silent grace.

Chloe knew who it was immediately, her visceral response announcing his name, her betraying heart leaping in acknowledgement. “Ben, what are you doing here?”

“How about we discuss it in the cruiser?” He wrapped an arm around her waist and hurried her down the steps. Strong, solid, dependable in a way Adam had never been. The comparison didn’t sit well with Chloe. Noticing how different Ben was from the man she’d once loved was something she shouldn’t be doing.

“Climb in.” He held the cruiser door open for her, then slid in himself, his knee nudging her leg, his arm brushing hers.

She scooted back against the door, doing her best to ignore the scent of pine needles and soap that drifted on the air, but he leaned in close, his jaw tight, his face much harder than it had seemed earlier. “Are you okay?”

“Just scared.”

“Jake said someone was inside the house with you. Did he make it into your apartment?”

“No, but it looked like he was trying to get in.” She shuddered, watching as the lights in the attic area of the Victorian flicked on.

“Did you see the person?”

“I saw something before I went in the house, but if it was a person, I couldn’t tell. There was no way I was going to open the apartment door to take a look.”

“I’m glad you didn’t. That would have been a bad idea.” The porch light flicked off, then on again, and Ben pushed open the car door. “That’s Jake’s all clear. Ready to go back inside?”

“Of course.” But she wasn’t really. Sitting in the car with Ben seemed a lot safer than stepping back into the darkness.

He rounded the car, pulled open her door and offered a hand. “It’ll be okay, Chloe. Whoever it was is long gone.”

Chloe nodded, not trusting herself to speak, afraid anything she said would be filled with the panic and paranoia that had chased her from D.C. Nightmares. Terror. The feeling of being watched, of being stalked. She’d been plagued with all of them since being released from the hospital nine months ago. Post-traumatic stress. That’s what the doctors said. That’s what the police said. Given enough time, Ben and Jake would probably say the same.

She braced herself as she stepped back into the house, sure that Jake would tell her he’d found nothing, that her mind had been playing tricks on her, that nothing had happened. She was only partially right.

Jake seemed convinced that something had happened, but his list of evidence was slim—an unlocked back door, a smudge of dirt on the back deck that might have been a footprint, fingerprints that might have belonged to the intruder, but more likely belonged to someone who lived in the house.

“We’ll get prints of the other tenants. See if I’ve picked up anything that doesn’t belong to one of you. Can you come to the station Monday?”

“I’ve got to work, but I’m sure Opal will give me the time off.”

“Good. In the meantime, keep the doors locked and don’t take unnecessary risks. I’m thinking this is probably a kid playing a prank or hoping to find some quick cash, but you never know.”

“No, you don’t.” Chloe shifted her weight, trying to ease the ache in her leg, trying to convince herself that the sheriff was right and that what had just happened had nothing to do with her former life.

Tried, but wasn’t successful.

He must have sensed her misgivings. His gaze sharpened, going from warm blue to ice. “Is there something you’re not telling me? If so it’s best to get it out in the open now.”

“I’m just not sure what happened tonight was random.” There. It was out. For better or worse. If it made her look crazy, so be it.

“And you have a reason for thinking that?” His tone was calm, but there was an edge to his words, a hardness to his face that hadn’t been there before.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been followed into a building. It’s not the first time I’ve felt like I was in danger.”

“It sounds like there’s a lot more to the story than what happened tonight. Maybe we should finish this discussion in your apartment.” He started up the stairs, giving Chloe no choice but to follow.

Which was fine.

It was better to get everything out on the table now rather than later. And Chloe was pretty sure there would be a later. As much as she’d hoped things would be different here, she hadn’t been convinced she could leave all her troubles behind. Apparently, she’d been right.

“Do you want me to wait outside?” Ben spoke quietly as he followed her up the stairs and Chloe knew what her answer should be. Yes, wait outside. Yes, keep your distance.

Unfortunately, knowing what she should say didn’t make her say it. “No. You’re fine. I’m going to get some coffee started. Then we’ll talk.”

She stepped into the living room, limped to the kitchen, and pulled coffee and a package of cookies from the cupboard. If she had to talk about the past, she might as well have sugar in her while she did it.

“Cookie, anyone?”

The sheriff shook his head, a hint of impatience in his eyes. “You were going to tell me why you don’t think tonight was a prank.”

Chloe nodded, forcing her muscles to relax and her tone to remain calm. Sounding hysterical was a surefire way to make herself seem unbalanced. “Eleven months ago someone tried to kill me. He failed.”

The words had an immediate effect. Both men straightened, leaned toward her. Intent. Focused. Concerned.

Now if they’d just stay that way through the entire story, Chloe might believe that things really were going to be different.

“Who?” Jake pulled a small notebook from his pocket, started scribbling notes in it.

“A man named Matthew Jackson.”

“Do you know where he is now?”

“Federal prison serving a life sentence for murder.”

“Murder?” Ben reached over and took the cookies from her hand, pulled two out of the package and handed her one.

“My fiancе was killed in the accident Jackson caused.”

Jake glanced up from the notepad. “And you think that has something to do with what happened tonight?”

“I don’t know. I just know that ever since the accident, things have been happening.”

“Things?”

Was there a tinge of doubt in Jake’s voice, a look of disbelief on his face? Or was Chloe just imagining what she’d seen so many times on the faces of so many other police officers. “Like I said, I’ve had the feeling that I was being followed. A couple of times I was sure someone had been in my apartment.”

There was something else, too. Something that she didn’t dare bring up.