Page 28 of Fear for Her Life

“They taste good too.” Raven wiped crumbs from his beard and his cheeks colored as everyone looked at him. “I did leave some for you.”

Jenna raised both eyebrows, glad the tension in the room had eased. “Just as well.” She reached for a cookie and nibbled on the crumbly delight. “These are so good. I’ll be fighting you over the last one.”

THIRTY

Elaine Harperlocked the door to the library and headed down the steps.She took the quiet,dimly lit alleyway between the buildings and pulled her coat tighter against the cool evening air. The sun had set, and the last traces of twilight faded into long shadows cast by the buildings. Her rhythmic footsteps from the heels of her sensible shoes echoed through the alleyway. Shivering as the wind from the mountains whisked up discarded papers and other bits of garbage littering the ground, she pushed on in the darkness. As she moved past the dumpsters, the light along the road at the end of the alleyway glowed like a beacon. She hurried along as a prickle of unease crawled over her. She turned a corner and stared both ways along the unusually deserted street. With each step the streetlights flickered ominously, creating distorted images of the way ahead.

Heart thumping in her chest, she glanced over her shoulder. A shadow moved behind her, or had it? She couldn’t be sure, but the feeling of being watched was undeniable. Senses on high alert, Elaine picked up her pace. The once familiar route had suddenly become a labyrinth of potential threats, with every sound amplified—the ticking from a vehicle engine cooling, the distant howl of a dog, the wind whispering through the trees. She kept moving. A crunch of gravel followed by slow deliberate footfalls came from close behind her. Should she stop to look behind her again or keep going? Trying hard to swallow her fear, she reached in her purse for her phone and her hand came up empty. Frantically, she searched her pockets—nothing.

Panic had her by the throat. Had the escaped prisoners made it to town? Was one of them stalking her? She stared ahead to the small clutch of houses in the distance. If someone was following her, would she make it there in time to ask for help? The footsteps behind her grew louder, more deliberate, whoever lurked in the shadows was getting closer. Maybe the person behind her wasn’t a threat, but could she dare risk it? Mind racing, she scanned the dim light ahead looking for a place to hide. She’d walked along this sidewalk a thousand times before, but panic was fogging her brain. She moved faster, and ahead, the shadowed maw of an alleyway yawned. Hidden by a cloak of darkness, she could slip inside, hide behind a dumpster, and wait for him to go by.

With each beat of a heart pounding in her ears, she chanced a glance over one shoulder. No one followed her, but as she backed into the alleyway thecrunch,crunchof boots on gravel split the silence, and the silhouette of her pursuer detached from the darkness. Unable to take her eyes from the approaching man, she walked backward into the alleyway. Her feet tangled in a bunch of loose packing material and she stumbled, falling heavily to the ground. Pain shot up her arm and something sharp stuck into her hip. The footsteps were getting closer. Terrified, she dragged herself to her feet, and gritting her teeth, pushed herself to keep moving despite the pain. The stink of garbage seared her nostrils as she shuffled a few steps, slipping on the spilled grease making the ground like ice. It seemed to take forever to get between two dumpsters and press herself against the wall. Panting with terror, she trembled, but not from the cold. Sweat dripped down her back, tickling a path between her shoulder blades.

The footsteps paused at the mouth of the alleyway and then moved slowly toward her. Trying to calm her breathing, with every muscle tense, she fought back a scream as he started to hum. There was no escape and she held up her hands as a large shadow filled the gap between the dumpsters. A low rumbling chuckle made the hairs on her neck raise and she choked out a strangled scream. As a cloud moved away from the moon, she caught the metallic sheen of a knife as he raised it in the air.

THIRTY-ONE

Shivering against the cold wind, Fatima Hagerstrom strolled along Main. Streetlights cast puddles of gold across the sidewalk, but between the buildings, long shadows cloaked the entrances of the alleyways. Glad to have her dog, Max, trotting happily beside her, with his leash slack in her hand, she scanned the darkness. Tonight this part of Main was empty and only two vehicles parked outside the café in the distance. Aunt Betty’s Café was open until eleven most nights, and as the wind was getting colder by the minute, she’d have time to stop by and grab a to-go cup of coffee for the walk home. Being out alone at night always spooked her, but having a dog carried responsibilities, and walking Max even after a long day’s work was necessary. They’d taken this route countless times, but tonight the air was thick with an uneasy stillness. The usually vibrant, noisy, tourist-filled town was silent.

Suddenly Max’s ears pricked, and before Fatima could react, the leash slipped from her hand and he bolted toward a dark alleyway. She stared after him. “Max, no!”

In seconds the dog disappeared into the shadows. He never chased cats. Why had he run away from her? Pulling her phone from her pocket, she accessed the flashlight and flooded the darkness. Heart pounding, she hurried after him, moving the flashlight back and forth. Alleyways transversed this end of town and he could be down any one of them. She aimed the phone at the first one, and her white dog was nowhere to be seen. Unease gripped her as she moved to the end of the next store. “Where are you? Max, come here, boy.”

Moments later, Max emerged from alongside the Chinese restaurant, his white fur matted with something dark and wet. As she shone the flashlight beam over him, the black patch turned to crimson. Horrified, Fatima squeezed her eyes shut at the sight. Max bumped into her leg and whined in distress. She opened her eyes and stared at her blood-soaked dog. Someone might be hurt, and she needed to make sure. She scanned Main in every direction for someone to help her, but the sidewalk was empty. She gripped her phone and in hesitant steps moved forward, her knees trembling. “Is anyone there?”

Nothing.

Holding her phone out like a shield, she stepped into the dimly lit alleyway. Heart thundering in her chest, she stepped over tangles of packing material. Ahead and behind her, darkness closed in around her in a sinister embrace. In an exhalation of breeze, the metallic scent of blood washed over her and every fiber of her body told her to turn and run, but morbid fascination drew her forward. One step, two steps along the side of the filthy dumpster and she caught sight of a shoe. Taking a steadying breath, she forced herself to peer around the side of the bin and stared into the sightless eyes of a woman sprawled on the ground in a pool of blood. Fatima gagged in horror, her throat tightened, and unable to scream, she backed away. Suddenly a shadow shifted in the far corner of the alleyway. Someone was watching her. Terrified, the phone slipped from her grasp as she turned to run.

Sprinting along Main with Max bounding along beside her, his leash trailing behind him, she ran toward Aunt Betty’s Café. The eatery’s lights spread across the sidewalk, offering comfort and safety. Chest tight, she ran for her life past the dark storefronts and gaping alleyways. In the distance, the café seemed a mile away. Fear pushed her on and she sobbed with relief when she finally made it. Gasping for breath, she burst through the door, startling an elderly couple waiting at the counter. From the back, Wendy, the assistant manager, came out carrying a take-out bag and handed it to the elderly couple.

“Your dog is covered with blood.” Wendy came from behind the counter, her eyes filled with concern. “Fatima, what’s happened?”

Panting, Fatima stared over one shoulder, terrified the killer might be right behind her. “Call 911.” She waved a hand behind her. “There’s a dead woman in the alleyway alongside the Chinese restaurant. She’s been murdered and I saw someone in the shadows.”

“You better stay here.” Wendy turned to the elderly couple and then ran to the door and bolted it. “I’ll grab my Glock. Trust me, no one is coming through that door until the sheriff arrives.”

THIRTY-TWO

Thursday

The insistent chime of her phone woke Jenna, and believing it was Kane, she sat up in bed and grabbed it from the bedside table. Seeing on the caller ID it was Rio, uneasiness crawled over her as she accepted the call. “I’m assuming this is something really bad if you’re calling me at one in the morning?”

“Afraid so.” Rio didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. “We have a homicide in an alleyway beside the Chinese restaurant on Main. A female approximately twenty-five years old. Evidence of knife wounds to the chest, face, and neck. There are no footprints in the blood apart from a dog’s and no obvious evidence. The victim was discovered by Fatima Hagerstrom walking her dog. She is currently with Wendy at Aunt Betty’s Café. She ran there after she discovered the body, and Wendy locked the door and kept everyone inside as Ms. Hagerstrom believed she saw someone lurking in the shadows.”

Placing her phone on speaker, Jenna stifled a moan. Her back had been aching all night. She slipped from the bed and dressed. “Have you secured the scene? Did you call Rowley?”

“Yes and yes. Rowley has just arrived.” Rio’s footsteps echoed on the sidewalk. “I’m currently clearing the alleyways between the Chinese restaurant and the beauty parlor, but we haven’t seen anyone else on the street at all since we arrived. A few eighteen-wheelers rumbled along Main and one truck. We’ve waved down the truck and spoke to the driver. They were leaving home for night shift. I have his details and verified his movements with the security company that employs him.”

Jenna pushed her feet into her boots and hurried into the kitchen. “I’ll call in the team. You and Rowley stay on scene until we get there. Is there anything else you need?”

“Nope. Wendy from Aunt Betty’s Café has been supplying us with Thermoses of coffee. There was an old couple in the café taking shelter and I sent them home, but I asked Ms. Hagerstrom to wait in the diner until you can speak to her. She did see someone near the body. Just a second.” Muffled voices came in the distance before Rio returned. “You don’t need to call in Norrell. She just showed with Colt Webber and Emily. I’ve already taken photographs of the scene without getting too close to the victim. Do you want Norrell to go ahead and process the scene?”

Sighing with relief, Jenna turned on the coffee pot. “Yeah, sure, I’ll wake Raven and ask him to drive me into town, and maybe one of the FBI agents will want to come along and take a look. I’ll call them at the cottage now.”

“Okay. Don’t worry, Jenna, I’m on it.” Rio disconnected.

Being chief deputy now, Rio was more than capable of handling any situation. He’d processed many murder scenes in his time with the team and as a gold shield detective in LA, but Jenna wanted to be involved for as long as possible. However, this murder would give her a good idea of just how well the team worked without her. Once the baby arrived, she’d be on leave for six months along with Kane and needed to be sure the office would run without her. She called Carter first, mainly because he had his nose out of joint when Kane asked Raven to look out for her. When he answered his phone, she gave him the details of what had happened. “I’m not calling you to come with me. I do understand you all need your rest after what happened in the forest, but I can’t drive there alone. Do you mind very much waking Raven and explaining?”

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