Page 33 of Deadly Past

Declan caught her hand. “Hey.”

She slowly turned to face him.

“I know you’re worried, but we’re going to be okay. We have Becky and Robert close. They can be here in a matter of minutes.”

She forced a smile. “I know. I just feel as if the trap is closing in around us, and we still have no idea what’s going on.”

He tugged her closer and brushed back her hair from her face. “We don’t know yet, but we’ve clearly made someone nervous.”

She searched his eyes and suppressed a shiver. The person who took Lacey was nervous and perhaps even desperate. And desperate people did dangerous things.

???

Once Wynona was in the kitchen, Declan tried to relax. Robert and Becky were close, and the storm would clear Hope Island soon. They’d be okay. So why didn’t it feel that way?

“As much as I was looking forward to having dinner with Becky’s family, with the storm moving in, I think we should cancel,” Declan told Wynona.

She turned from the stove. “You’re right. It’s snowing already, and the temperature feels as if it’s dropping quickly.”

“I’ll add more logs to the fire before I call Becky.” He placed a couple of logs on the fire and then made the call telling Becky what he’d learned from his team.

“I hate that you won’t be here, but I sure understand. This storm took everyone by surprise.”

“It sure did.” Declan’s attention went to the kitchen where Wynona was dishing out chili. She glanced up and their eyes met. Just for a second, everything faded, and it was just the two of them, and he’d give anything to know what that look in her eyes meant.

“Declan?” His attention returned to the call, and he realized he’d left Becky hanging.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I stopped by Amos’s place, but it was dark and closed up. Did Cathy mention they were leaving?”

This was surprising. “Really? No, she indicated they’d be here a few days. Maybe they got what they needed.” Still, it seemed odd. They’d just arrived the evening before, according to Cathy.

“That is strange. I hope everything is okay. I’ll check in with Amos later. In the meantime, be safe, you two.”

The warning settled over him once the call ended. Declan tried to make sense of what Becky had said about Amos. With the stroke, he was worried Amos might have taken a turn for the worse.

“As soon as we eat, I’m going to grab some extra firewood from the garage just in case,” Declan told her.

“I’ll go with you.”

For reasons he couldn’t explain, he felt better about having her tucked inside the cabin. “Please stay.”

She slowly agreed without questioning his decision. Once they finished their chili, Declan braved the heavy snow. Before he gathered the wood, he returned to the place where he and Wynona had seen the man. He turned back to the cabin. Whoever the man was, he definitely had a clear view of the place. Declan searched the snowy ground. Something caught his attention. A cigarette was nestled in the crook of the tree. He hadn’t noticed it before.

Declan carefully slipped it into his jacket pocket. The cigarette made Declan wonder if the perp had been casing the cabin for a while. He’d left by boat which meant he could be anywhere. But if this was the same person following Wynona, how did he get off Hope Island undetected? Where had he obtained the boat?

Declan blew out a sigh. He just wished he had a better feel for what this guy was after. Were they looking at it all wrong? Maybe this had nothing to do with Lacey’s disappearance. Maybe it was all about Wynona. It would certainly make what was happening easier to understand. Declan started for the garage

Before he reached the garage, JT called. “How are things there?

Declan confirmed nothing had changed.

“That’s good news anyway. I struck out on finding the boat.”

Declan wasn’t surprised.

“Anyway, the storm appears to be weakening here. As soon as it’s safe, we’re on our way. Hang in there.”

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