Page 13 of Echoes at Driftwood Cottage

“Maybe someone is trying to scare me,” she admitted as she told him about the strange phone calls and emails. “Maybe someone is after me. They started after I made the decision to live here.”

“Who else besides me knew that, though? I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Logan Donnelly knew. But I seriously doubt he makes crank calls and sends weird emails.”

“Word could’ve gotten out that you were coming here,” Daniel said. “Small towns live on passing along those kinds of juicy details. And if that is the case, you need to be careful.”

“Okay,” she finally said. “So what do we do? Do we go to the police? Do we try to find out who’s behind all of this?”

“How seriously does the police take stalkers these days? I don’t think the authorities will help much. They’ll probably think you’re crazy.”

“Gee, that makes me feel so much better. Not.”

Daniel took hold of her hand. “Take me out there. Let’s see this headstone. I need to see it for myself.”

“I’m not sure I can find it in the dark. Plus, there’s another problem. The cemetery closes at sunset. The caretaker locks the gate. I looked it up online before you got here.”

“Come on, where’s your sense of adventure?”

“I’m pretty sure I left it behind when I was there this afternoon.”

“We could climb the fence and get in that way.”

She sent him a look of disbelief. “It’s more like a six-foot tall stone wall with an iron gate. Besides, you’re an upstanding member of the community, a businessman. What would people say if you got caught breaking into a graveyard?”

“Who cares? I want to see this headstone with your name on it.”

“Daniel, who says the answer is out there at Eternal Gardens? The answer could very well be somewhere in this house, a few feet from where we’re sitting.”

“That’s true. But whoever’s in that grave could yield DNA. I’ve seen enough murder mysteries and true crime stuff to know that much.”

Feeling anxious, Daniel stood up from the couch and walked to the window. He gazed out into the darkness. He realized breaking into Eternal Gardens was a risky move, maybe even stupid, but he couldn't shake the feeling that the answer to Rowan’s problem lay within the graveyard. He turned to face her. His blue eyes had gone darker with determination. “Look, I know it’s crazy, but I need to do this. I won’t force you to come with me, but I have to see it for myself.”

She sighed, rubbing both sides of her temples. “Fine. But if the caretaker catches us, don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Daniel grinned, feeling a rush of adrenaline at the thought of scaling a stone wall. He tugged her off the sofa and pulled her into his arms, planted a long kiss on her mouth. “Partners in crime. Who knew?”

“I think you’re enjoying this. Who knew you had a devious side? I should probably change into something more appropriate, like all black.”

He chuckled. “There you go. You’re getting into the spirit of things now. I think jeans and our jackets should be fine. But we need to grab flashlights and maybe a rope.”

“I don’t believe I’m doing this. Just last week I was a respectable albeit boring graphics designer. Now I’m heading into a life of crime.”

“We’re not planning anything nefarious,” Daniel replied. “We’re not robbing a grave.”

“At least not yet,” Rowan tossed back. “You act like we’re on a mission to dig up whoever’s underneath that plot.”

“Not yet,” he fired back. “Look, you’re simply gonna show me this headstone with the date you died on it. How tough is that?” He turned her around and swatted her fanny. “Now get your coat. We have a break-in to facilitate.”

As they drove north out of town toward Eternal Gardens, the silence in the car was palpable. So was the tension. The air seemed stuffy and made it hard to breathe. Behind the wheel of his Subaru Crosstrek hybrid, Daniel hit the button to roll the window down. On his left, the blackness of the ocean beckoned. He could hear the waves crash up against the rocks. His mind raced with thoughts of what they might find.

In the passenger seat, Rowan had reservations. But she couldn’t argue with Daniel’s reasoning. Getting another look at that headstone seemed imperative tonight as if she needed to make sure it was real. She needed someone else to see that it was actually there. Right now, confirmation meant everything to her.

As they approached the iron gate Daniel spotted the big-ass chain and the oversized padlock hanging there to keep out the riffraff. He estimated the height of the wall around the six-foot mark, but it still looked daunting in the dark. He made a first pass to check the area’s security before turning around.

“What are you doing?” Rowan asked.

“I’m looking for cameras.”

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