Page 75 of The Red-Hot Stakes

“Up to you. There’s a lot of work to be done if you want the hours. Or you can go.” I glanced at Officer Harper. “We’ll have to wait until we get the all clear from him before throwing everything out.” I cringed at the thought of wasting all our new food and starting over again.

Wyatt nodded. “I’ll stay.”

Relief coursed through me. “Thanks. Could you call the others? Let them know what’s up, that we won’t be open today or tomorrow? We’ll plan on resuming normal hours on Wednesday. And we’ll need to put something online. Maybe we can keep this under wraps so we don’t lose more business.” I understood where the officer was coming from, but it was so very frustrating.

Chapter Nineteen

Wyatt had already begun calling people when I tromped upstairs. I turned the corner, stopping abruptly and almost vomiting when I saw the office. Quickly, I plastered myself back against the stairway, unable to process what I’d seen.

A dead animal had been gutted on Liam’s desk, its innards strewn all over his computer and phone and papers. The whole desk was covered in red gore.

Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for another look now that I was mentally prepared. I eased around the corner, keeping my eyes off the desk. Nothing else in the office seemed disturbed except for the filing cabinet which was left wide open. I hurried over, watching where I stepped.

It was the drawer with the personnel files, which was usually locked. The metal had been pried open, similar to the shed, and my stomach clenched. I quickly scanned through all the names, but it didn’t appear as if anyone was missing.

Whatever they had been looking for, they either hadn’t found it or had taken pictures and left.

I started to leave, but my gaze caught on the corner of Liam’s desk. While the rest of his frames and photos were knocked down or askew, one stood perfectly upright and pristine. I crept closer. It was the picture of Liam and his sisters, carefully facing away from the gore.

And Liam’s face had been blacked out.

Back downstairs, my annoyance at being so caught off-guard combined with my frustration and helplessness in the face of the situation. I strode right up to the policeman. “Officer Harper!”

His head shot up, and his face fell. “You went upstairs, didn’t you?”

“Why the hell didn’t you warn me?”

“I was going to, when I finished here.” His face softened. “I’m truly sorry. That must have been a shock.” He went back to his radio.

Wyatt came over as I sagged against the building. “What happened?”

I couldn’t get the picture out of my head as I told him the gruesome details. I needed to call Liam. This is obviously personal. The business phone rang inside, and I hurried to answer it, grabbing a paper towel to wrap around the receiver, just in case.

“High Five, this is Gina.”

A low chuckle came over the line. “Hello, Gina. How’d you like my present?”

I gasped. “You!” The open door wasn’t far and I wondered if I yelled, if Officer Harper would hear me.

“Now, now, Gina. Make sure you keep our little conversations to yourself. You don’t want any of your friends ending up like that poor rabbit, do you? I bet Avery would squeal just as loud.”

My heart thudded in my chest. “You wouldn’t.”

“Don’t try me.” His threat hung between us. “Now, are you ready to play my game? Or do you need more persuasion?”

I gripped the receiver so tight my knuckles turned white. “I’m not breaking up with Liam.”

“I see.” He paused again. “I’ll give you a few more days to think that over and make sure it’s your final decision. Keep in mind, the longer you wait, the higher the stakes. This time it was just a rabbit. Who will be next?” And he hung up.

My hand shook as I put the phone back on the wall. What the fresh hell have I gotten myself into this time? I sucked in several deep breaths until my heart slowed to a normal pace once more.

The blank screen of the phone caught my eye, and I snatched up the receiver once more, punching the button for previous incoming calls. The last one had no name attached. Of course, it couldn’t have been that easy. I dialed it, holding my breath.

“The number you are trying to reach has been disconnected or is no longer in service.”

The robotic voice had my shoulders sagging. This guy was covering his tracks at every turn, and my frustration grew. I flipped through the prior numbers, going back to the day of the last threat. I found a different number with no name associated with it at the right time, then called it. Only to receive the same message.

I stared at the back door for a long moment, more than tempted to march out there and tell the officer everything. But the blackmailer’s threat played once more in my head. I couldn’t risk Avery, not when I wasn’t sure just how serious this guy was. Resigned, I called my boyfriend. He needed to know about the present.

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