Page 75 of An Unexpected Home

When Tim had first searched the shed, he had found a blanket and some food that Will had obviously been using.

Those items were back at the station where Brandon had been looking at them daily trying to find any clue that could help him find Will.

Looking around inside the shed, nothing new stood out to him. It was exactly the same as the pictures he had hanging up at the station. Lawnmower, leaf blower, garden bucket, tools. And then something hit him.

“Hey Tim, can you come in here for a minute,” he yelled.

“Did you find anything?” Tim poked his head in.

“It’s what I didn’t find that has me concerned. If this is where she keeps the lawnmower, where is the gas can?”

“Huh,” Tim said. “I don’t remember there ever being one. I’m almost positive there wasn’t one in the pictures we took.”

“Go ask Mrs. Haggerty,” he directed.

Tim ran off and Brandon contemplated the missing gas can. Could Will be planning something so dangerous as burning something down? Or was it something else entirely?

The idea that Will was now more dangerous than originally thought, had him realizing that he needed to tell Leah what was going on.

He pulled his phone out and sent her a quick text asking if he could come by the studio so they could talk. Tim was walking toward him, his face showing his worst fear.

“It’s supposed to be there,” he said looking glum. “She’s not sure how she missed it when we first searched but it must have just slipped her mind.”

“Fuck,” Brandon swore. “That means we now have a psychopath on our hands who very likely wants to burn something or someone.” That someone being Leah.

“What do we need to do?”

Brandon wasn’t sure. “I don’t know. I think I might be in over my head here.” He didn’t really have anyone to call. His predecessor, Chief Dodd had passed away and there was no one else in Cedarville with experience.

“What about Woodridge?” Tim said, reading his mind. “They have a Chief who has been around for a while and since they are a bigger town than us, maybe he will have some suggestions.”

Brandon looked at Tim. “That’s a great idea, Tim. I’ll call over there and see what he says.”

They left Mrs. Haggerty’s in their separate cars. Tim was heading back to the station and Brandon was going to tell Leah the bad news.

He knew she was getting stronger and gaining more self-confidence every day. He could see it in the way she spoke and acted. She was no longer afraid or worried that people knew who she was, and that was a big deal. The thought of giving her this news and changing that, worried him.

Pulling into the studio, he parked next to Leah’s car which was the only one in the lot. He found her typing away on her computer at her desk.

Her hair was pulled up into some kind of strange ponytail with stray pieces coming out all sides. Her foot was tapping to the song that played, one that he didn’t know but liked immediately.

“Who is this?” he said leaning against the door frame. She didn’t seem startled, which was also something that had just come in the last few days. When she had first gotten to town she jumped at every sound.

Glancing to him for just a second before continuing to type she said, “Cold War Kids.”

“I like it.” He stepped into the room and took a seat at what he knew was Melanie’s desk. “Where are Carly and Mel?”

“They went to grab some food.” She typed a few more words. “Done,” she said and turned to face him. “Hi.” Her face lit up in a huge smile.

“Hi,” he leaned in and gave her a kiss.

“I didn’t mean to ignore you,” she said. “I just had to finish that or Mel would add ‘Kill Leah’ to her to-do list.

He laughed but knew full well that Melanie would do that.

“What did you need to talk about?”

“We’ve had a development.”

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