Page 9 of Deadly Peril

Chapter 3

It had been two days since an unseen attacker had shot at Jana. Her nerves were still frazzled, but not so much because she’d become the target of some idiot. Expert at handling a rifle, she could defend herself. Yet it was unnerving to be in mystery about who was after her—if anyone was.

The police hadn’t been helpful. Jana had dragged her feet about reporting the incident, but Coley had insisted. It hadn’t been worth the effort. The officer had taken the report, but implied that it had probably been a stray bullet.

Wild game hunters often strayed to areas where shooting wasn’t allowed. That was against the law, but it didn’t mean a shooter had tried to kill Jana. So, she didn’t expect a lot of support from law enforcement unless she got injured or worse.

That seemed ironic, since the police were supposed to protect civilians. Yet their caseloads likely prohibited devoting extensive effort to a random event. When Jana had noticed the gouge in the tree from the bullet, she’d looked around for a shell casing.

But with no luck. The snow had been thick, and soft enough from recent precipitation that it was useless to search anymore. The police weren’t even going to try, stating that it would be harder than looking for a needle in a haystack.

Once the adrenaline rush died down, Jana had been shaky and starving. After the police interview, Coley had suggested lunch, which Jana accepted. The café served some of Jana’s favorites, so she ate with abandon.

Eating had seemed to calm her down, and she’d been nearly back to normal by the time she finished her coffee. She hadn’t talked about what had happened. Coley knew all that she needed to know, and that was as much as Jana knew.

There was no use moaning about it. Jana had no idea who might have shot at her or why. She was inclined to agree with the accident theory, since no one had any vendetta against her. If she let her imagination run wild, she could make more out of it.

But that was pointless. It was best to let it go. However, Jana had made the mistake of telling Eva, and her grandmother didn’t take the news in stride. It had been upsetting to hear that her granddaughter had nearly been injured, so she’d made no effort to hide her distress.

Jana had tried to reassure her grandmother by holding to the random-event theory. It was scary that the bullet had come so close, but it wouldn’t happen again. The solution was to avoid those slopes, until the errant hunter found more fertile ground to pursue his game.

But Eva didn’t buy it. She was certain there was more to it. And the more she talked, the more it upset Jana. In the heat of the argument, Jana bowed out and went upstairs. Her grandmother would calm down and everything would be okay.

Yet a day or two of avoiding the subject didn’t make the issue vanish. Eva had been away, so Jana assumed she’d gone to visit friends, which she often did. Being apart would be good for them until the upset passed. Only it didn’t seem like that was going to happen.

With a mug of coffee in hand, Jana ventured out to the covered porch to test the waters. Eva was up and dressed, looking ready for the day. Her attitude didn’t reveal any lingering animosity. It might be safe to discuss other subjects.

Yet it seemed that no other subject interested Eva. She sipped her tea and offered Jana a scone then reinitiated the debate about safety. “You must take it seriously.”

Jana plopped into the chair across from her. “What makes you think I don’t? I was skiing on a slope I’ve been to…hundreds of times. There is no way I could have predicted the danger.”

Eva’s gaze was unflinching. “Then why didn’t you tell me about the threatening letters and messages?”

“I told you that I didn’t want to upset you. I didn’t take all of that seriously, and I still don’t. I have no reason to.”

“I disagree. You have every reason to. Mere days ago, someone tried to kill you.”

“You don’t know that. The police think it was a fluke, and I’m inclined to agree.”

“Well, you shouldn’t.” Eva set her teacup on the table. “You’re smarter than that.”

“It has nothing to do with intelligence. It’s about being rational. It makes no sense for me to get into a tizzy about the event…at least until I have evidence that it was intentional.” Jana took a breath. “And I don’t.”

“Well, I do.”

“And what evidence do you have that I don’t?” Jana could hardly wait to hear Eva’s theory.

“The threatening letters tell the story.” Eva’s brow wrinkled. “The messages were clear, and the shot was a warning at best, an attempt on your life at the worst.”

“You’ve been reading too much crime fiction.”

“And you haven’t been reading enough,” Eva said. Her grandmother glared at her, leaving Jana frustrated.

How could she put Eva’s mind at ease, particularly since hers wasn’t? Deep inside, Jana was unnerved by the near miss. Yet she wasn’t convinced that it was an intentional act. If that was true, it meant that she really was a target and another attack could be expected.

That was difficult to fathom. In her life, Jana had been treated well. The people she knew or associated with weren’t killers. And if it was a stranger, then why her? The only thing that made any sense was that it was all just a big mistake.

Plus, the threatening letters and texts had stopped. It seemed that the prankster had lost interest. Jana had slept better, despite the drama on the slopes. She could get past this, and Eva needed to also. But the look on Eva’s face told Jana that was going to be a challenge.

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