Page 52 of No Good Deed

The twinkle in her eyes belied the fact that she remembered when televisions had been invented. The woman was all about romance.

“I’m going to do my best.”

“See that you do.” Then she turned and looped her arm through her husband’s and headed out the door. The crowd was thinning but the happy conversations continued. This was exactly what he’d hoped for when he’d thought about hiring an urban planner to help out Phail.

He’d had no idea that the reality would far outstrip any dreams he’d had.

Sam Young, the founder of Midnight Lake Security, let out a whistle. “The silver Accord just drove by.”

Troy was beside Sam in a flash, but they both stopped anyone from running into the street. “If we fly out of here, he’s going to be long gone. We want to catch him, not scare him off. Act naturally. If you spot it, don’t stare at the car. Text to let us know if you spot the Accord.”

Troy and Sam grabbed their jackets and headed onto the sidewalk in front of the saloon. Troy pulled up the security feed from his house and watched for a few minutes, but no silver car drove by.

Mitch walked up to them, looking at his own phone. “He drove by the firehall but didn’t stop. Wearing a ball cap again.”

Joe approached next. “Looks like I’ve got a partial plate. I’m going with Marcus to search for it. I’ll also call Shanice Williams and see if I can get her to run a search through her database as well.” Shanice ran the closest FBI office over in New Hampshire. The former FBI agents running Midnight Security had worked with her several times. She was an excellent agent and asset.

They were finally making progress.

Joe and Marcus headed to the deputy’s office. Mitch and Bella headed to the firehall to keep an eye out from there.

As they left the saloon, many people stopped and asked for details. Every single one of them promised to look out for Piper. She’d made a hell of an impression in the past week.

Which reminded him how often she’d used we and our and us throughout her presentation. She might not realize it yet, but she was imagining herself here in Phail in the future, hopefully with him.

Brody stopped to say he’d take his snowplow around town, hoping the plow wouldn’t appear suspicious. Mrs. Stewart would keep her eye open for that asshat harassing our smart cookie. Rachel Owens and her son offered their help. His cousin Fiona stopped and hugged him. She whispered in his ear. “I really like your girl, Troy. Find a way to keep her around.” Then she patted his arm and moved off.

Sam grinned at him. “Piper was a hit today. I never imagined there were so many ways to build up a town, and I never once thought of tearing down buildings.”

Troy nodded. “She’s got a ton of ideas, and most of them won’t cost much. But the park is going to be the center of it all.”

“Like a town square. It’s a classic for a reason.”

Troy agreed. He wanted to fast-forward to the spring when they could start the demolition. Unless they could begin on the inside of the buildings first. That would help keep the momentum going so people didn’t forget the excitement of today.

But he could barely focus on any of that at the moment. The asshole who’d attacked Piper was in town. Someone had to spot that car soon. Unless Westerlake was simply driving through. Phail wasn’t exactly on the road to everywhere. North, the road led to Midnight Lake and out to the rest of Vermont. South, the road led to lower Vermont and nearby states.

If someone ended up in Phail, it was almost always on purpose. They weren’t on a major highway, which led to the lack of Oh, let’s stop there tourists.

Tansy walked out of the building, and Sam tucked her under his arm. She leaned in and then asked, “Any word on the car? Has anyone spotted him?”

Troy shook his head and checked his phone again even though he would have heard any notifications. He wanted to get Piper home and behind the security system, but walking home would be when she would be most vulnerable. Would they be better off staying in the saloon? Or to go through the connecting door into Doc’s and out the back way?

Troy’s phone rang with Joe’s number. “Did you find them?”

“Not yet, but I have a better view from the security feed. It shows two men in the car this time. Both wearing hats to obscure their faces.”

Damn it. “Let me know when you have more.” He moved into the saloon as he updated Sam and Tansy. The main room was empty now. “Piper?”

Tansy pointed to the hallway past the bar. “She was heading to get Oreo and then to the restroom to splash water on her face. The presentation took a lot out of her.”

They moved to the back and Troy called her name again. A chill ran up his spine when she didn’t respond. “Piper!”

The door to the bathroom was open, with no Piper in sight. He moved to the kitchen, calling for her and Oreo.

Someone had smashed the window in the kitchen’s back door. Glass littered the floor. Oreo’s barking drew him outside. He raced through the broken glass and out the door to find the little dog in the middle of the parking lot, barking for help.

But no Piper. He yelled her name, but there was no response. Heart hammering in his chest, he scooped up the dog and called Joe again. “Piper’s gone. Oreo’s outside. Check the camera feed for the back door of Doc’s.”

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