Page 71 of Full House

Before he could answer, a woman approached their group. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, her bright blue hair swept up in a mess atop her head, Nate wouldn’t know she was part of the investigation if not for the latex gloves she wore on her hands.

She spoke to Smith. “A word.”

“Excuse me,” Smith said his gaze directed at Nate and Victoria.

After Smith stepped away, he heard Victoria say, “We need to talk about this.”

They did. They hadn’t spoken since before she’d fainted, since before the EMTs had arrived. She’d been too disoriented and he too damn angry. “We do.”

“Who do you think is behind all this?”

This. Such a simple word to sum up someone trying to destroy the one thing he couldn’t live without. Victoria. Their one lead had been a bust. Smith had already informed him the surveillance tapes had been no help. They hadn’t spotted anyone sneaking in, and all the cars that had gone through the gate had been accounted for, being checked off on security’s master list.

He ran a hand through his hair, his anger transforming to aggravation. “I wish I knew.”

Their conversation was interrupted by Smith’s return, a new look of determination turning his features hard and his eyes sharp. “They found a few partial footprints in the dust up on the catwalk. Some type of running shoe.”

Nate felt Victoria stiffen beside him. “Are you sure they belong to the person responsible for this?”

“Forensics assures me the prints are fresh.”

Nate was silent a moment, processing the new development. Victoria was equally quiet at his side, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. But he honestly couldn’t tell whether it was for her comfort or his.

Smith continued, “With this second attempt, I’d like to explore other avenues.” He turned his eyes to Victoria. “Do you know of anyone who might have a grudge against you.”

Nate looked over to see Victoria shaking her head. “No. No one.”

“For even the smallest thing. It could be someone from your past?” Smith persisted.

Victoria shook her head more forcefully. “No.”

Nate thought he heard Smith sigh, as if he’d hoped she held the answer that would tie the investigation up neatly in a bow. “I need a list of everyone you’ve come in contact with the last few weeks.”

“That’s so many. I’m sure I can’t remember them all.”

“Just do your best,” Smith said. “Every name you can think of will help. And who knows, we may get lucky.”

Lucky? Nate suddenly hated that word. He wanted assurances, not some luck of the draw. The stakes were too high with Victoria’s life in the balance.

“We’ll get the list to you by tomorrow. If that’s all, I’m going to take Victoria home.”

Smith dipped his head once in a nod. “I’ll be in touch if we find anything else sooner.”

Nate and Victoria didn’t speak until they stepped outside. The glare of the sun was blinding after so many hours cooped up inside. Victoria lifted her face to the sky, her cheeks paler than they appeared inside.

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay?” He still had an arm around her reluctant to let go in case she became dizzy again.

She tipped her head back down opening her eyes. “Yeah. All this is such a shock. It’s hard to let it sink in. You know, after the first accident, it was easy to pretend it was just an accident. Easy to believe that maybe, just maybe, all those screws really did come lose all on their own. But after today…” She turned in his arm, her hands clutching at his waist. Looking up at him, he saw a lone tear trail down her cheek and it nearly broke him. “After today, it’s impossible to pretend anymore. Someone’s trying to kill me, and I’m scared. But the scariest part is, I don’t know why.”

Nate brushed the tear away with his thumb. “We’ll figure it out. And until then, I promise, I won’t let anything harm you.”

It was a vow he planned to keep or die trying.

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