Page 22 of No Good Deed

Piper nodded at Marcus. “I’m fine.”

He nodded. “Okay. Talk us through what happened.”

One hand squeezed his while the other patted Oreo, curled up in a ball at her side. “Oreo barked at the door to tell me he needed to go outside, so I leashed him up. We went through the front door and I didn’t see anyone at first. We’d just reached the bottom of the porch stairs when a man came around the tree near the street.”

“Did you recognize him?”

She shook her head. “I don’t think so. He was wearing one of those hats that cover the face but have holes for the eyes and mouth.”

“A balaclava?”

“Yes. That’s it. It was dark as well. Then he asked me where it was.”

Troy shared a glance with Marcus. It was looking like they’d been right.

“Did he specify what he meant by it?”

She squeezed Troy’s hand. “No. And then he asked where I’d hidden it. I tried to move forward to get Oreo. I yelled for help, and he told me to shut up. I caught Oreo and we ran to the house. The man grabbed my hair and yanked me to the ground. I dropped Oreo’s leash when I fell. The man was looming over me when Jim and Carl opened the door to the B&B. Other neighbors opened their doors as well. The guy disappeared into the trees.”

Troy wanted to find this guy, and rip him to shreds.

Marcus kept his eyes and voice steady. “Did he say anything else?”

Piper shook her head.

“I know it was dark, but could you tell skin tone? Think of what you could see in the holes of the mask.”

She closed her eyes and shuddered. “White.”

“Height?”

Eyes still closed, she frowned. “A lot taller than me. Maybe around six feet. Tall, but ordinary tall, if that makes sense.”

“Thin?”

Another frown. “No. But not heavy. Wide shoulders.”

Marcus kept up with the quiet questions until they had a decent picture of the man. Black sweater but no jacket. Strong build. Dark gloves. Big hands. No obvious accent. He’d whispered his questions and threats, probably to disguise his voice. Which meant Piper likely knew the bastard.

He squeezed her shoulders. “Anything familiar about him?”

“I don’t think so. It happened so quickly, I’m not sure. It’s more like a blur in my head.”

Marcus tapped his notebook. “You noticed a lot of detail for something that happened that quickly. Good job. You did everything right.”

Jim and Carl had been sitting together on another sofa throughout the conversation, concern practically emanating from them. Jim squeezed his partner’s hand. “I’m sorry this is happening to you, Piper. We’ll do anything we can to help.”

She smiled at them. “You chased him away, and kept me and Oreo safe. I can’t thank you enough. I’m sorry for bringing danger to your home.”

“Don’t be silly. It’s not your fault.” Carl smiled.

Troy knew the B&B had no security measures beyond the deadbolts he’d helped them install the year before.

Jim nodded. “You’re welcome to stay here, but we might have a better plan.”

Piper’s eyebrows shot up, and he felt his own do the same. Jim’s twinkle had Troy worrying.

“We don’t have any security cameras or alarms in the house. If this man returns to hurt you, we won’t have advance warning. But we know someone who does have those protections. We think you should stay with Troy while you’re in town.”

---