Page 58 of Flynn

But now that Taylor was up and about, he could check the yard outside her windows.

“Did you do this all night?” she asked as he began what he’d started to think of as his window rounds.

“No, I managed to get some sleep.” He flashed her a smile as he moved from the living room to the kitchen. “Just sit tight. This won’t take long.”

She shrugged and turned to continue watching the flames licking at the logs in the fire. He was glad he’d started it, even though he’d put a significant dent in the stack of wood that had been left inside. As he headed down the hall, he made a mental note to bring more wood in later.

Taylor’s room smelled like her, but he forced himself to concentrate on the task at hand. The first window overlooked the neighbor’s home, the one Rhy had mentioned belonged to an elderly couple. He watched for a moment but didn’t catch any movement inside.

Moving to the next window, he could see a broader portion of the backyard. The woodpile was tucked in the left corner of the property.

Seeing nothing alarming, he turned away. Before he could take a step, he paused and looked back out the window. Something was off.

It took him a minute to notice that the dusting of snow on the woodpile was disturbed, as if someone had brushed it off. Frowning, he scanned the ground around the area but didn’t see any footprints.

But this window and the other one from the kitchen only faced the front of the woodpile. Not the back.

Was someone hiding back there?

There was only one way to find out. He quickly turned and headed back to the kitchen to find his coat.

“What’s wrong?” Taylor frowned when he shrugged into his coat and then reached for his gun. “Did you see something?”

He hesitated. “Probably nothing, but where’s your phone? You should keep it handy.”

“It’s charging in my room.” She stood and hurried to grab it.

He waited for her to return before reaching for the door handle.

“I don’t think you’re heading outside for nothing,” she said in a low voice. “At least tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing is wrong. I just noticed the snow was missing along the top of the woodpile. Likely animals, like squirrels or raccoons.” He wasn’t sure what sort of wildlife roamed the area, but with the park across the street, he had to assume there were plenty of small game. “I just want to be sure.”

“Okay.” Taylor didn’t look convinced. “If you’re not back in ten minutes, I’m calling 911.”

“Good. But you might want to wake up Cass first. She’s armed and probably would want to back me up to keep you safe.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She waved him off. “Ten minutes.”

He flashed a quick reassuring smile, then stepped out into the chilly night. It was cold enough to see his breath making puffs of steam in the air, and he stood for a moment to listen.

Silence.

Knowing he was making a big deal out of nothing, Flynn carefully crossed the lawn toward the woodpile. As he grew closer, he could see dozens of tiny paw prints in the snow from various animals.

But he could also see how a swath of snow along the top of the pile had been shoved to the side.

And not by a squirrel.

In his mind, he imagined a gloved hand making the movement. The hand slipping across the top of the pile as the person standing there lost his balance.

A chill that had nothing to do with the temperature washed over him. Bringing his weapon up in a ready stance, he crept closer. When he reached the woodpile, he used it for cover as he carefully looked behind it.

No one was there now, but they had been. The ground behind the neatly stacked wood was full of messy prints. Nothing clear enough to see, but several boot prints crossing each other as if the perp had stomped his feet to stay warm.

Someone had been there. And recently. It wasn’t snowing now, and it was obvious there wasn’t any fresh snow covering the messy prints.

Flynn slowly turned, sweeping his gaze across the ground. Whoever had been out there hadn’t crossed the lawn to get closer to the house.

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