Page 37 of Mile High Mystery

“Someone’s been here,” he said. “They left a stuffed animal on my bed. A bear. And, well, its head’s been cut almost off.”

Her stomach dipped, then rose. “Don’t touch anything. I’m on my way over.”

She hung up before he could protest that he didn’t need her to come over. She shut down Camille’s laptop and locked it in her suitcase and took it with her when she left the room. She locked the case in the trunk, then drove to Zach’s, heart racing, even as she forced herself to stay only a few miles over the speed limit. Zach was all right. Whoever had done this thing hadn’t hurt him.

Yet.

She parked beside Zach’s truck and scanned the parking lot. No one was visible this time of night, and nothing looked out of place. She slid out of the driver’s seat and closed the door softly behind her, not locking it in case she needed to leave suddenly, perhaps with Zach in tow. Then she walked to Zach’s door, checking all around her for anything suspicious.

The door itself looked undisturbed. No sign of forced entry. She rang the bell, and within seconds, the door opened. “I’m okay,” Zach said before she could speak. “I’m just a little confused.”

“Show me,” she said.

She followed him into the townhouse, through the living room and down a short hall to the bedroom. Her first impression was of a comfortable room with a king-size bed, a dresser and a bedside table. She focused on the object in the middle of the comforter. A brown stuffed bear, head lolling to one side. It was just a child’s toy, but the sight of it, disfigured that way, made her sick to her stomach. “That would freak anyone out,” she told Zach, assuming an attitude of calm she didn’t really feel. “Where was it, exactly, when you found it?”

“Sitting up between the two pillows at the head of the bed.” He gestured toward the pillows. “I picked it up, and the head almost fell off.”

“And you’re sure the bear wasn’t here before?”

He let out a hoarse laugh. “I’m a little old to sleep with a teddy bear.”

She shook her head. “Have you seen it—or one like it—before?”

“No.”

She pulled out her phone.

“Who are you calling?” His voice rose with alarm.

“The sheriff’s department.”

“No!” He held out his hands. “I’m okay. Nothing happened. It’s just a sick joke.”

“You said you lost your house key, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And you haven’t found it?”

“No. But I probably dropped it—”

“Whoever got in here did it with your key,” she said. “That means they took it from you. Who could have done that?”

“No one. The key was in my pocket. I would have noticed if someone had tried to take it.”

“Not if the person was good at picking pockets.” She studied him. “What about Janie? She was sitting very close to you when I saw you two together at Mo’s.”

He paled. “When I left, she hugged me.”

“She could have taken the key then.”

“But why would she? And why do this?”

“I don’t know. But we need to find out. The sheriff can help with that.”

She made the call. The dispatcher agreed to send a deputy. That settled, she took Zach into the kitchen and got a glass of water for him and one for herself. “Who else was close enough to you today to pick your pocket?” she asked.

“I don’t know. Eldon and I climbed together this afternoon. But he wouldn’t do something like this.”

---